Teamwork is Possible: Formation
by Firework Warrior
Summary: When a Portal drops Mulan, Shang, and Mushu in present-day Middleton, they join Kim Possible and her friends on missions. But a villain has followed the Hero of China... and he's hell-bent on revenge. ***Book 1 of the Teamwork Trilogy***
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ron was still trying to forget about the horrors of Camp Wannaweep. Itchy plants. Toxic lake. Monkey in his cabin. Green muck that caused mutations. No answer to his SOS phone calls. Spending an entire summer alone.

But he couldn't forget. Especially tonight. He was at the old campground on a mission with Kim.

Wait... where was Kim?

"Great." thought Ron. "I'm lost at Camp Wannaweep, no sign of Kim..." He pulled out his phone, hoping he could somehow get a hold of Kim that way...

"And no signal."

Most of the time, Ron didn't worry. But this time was different. Bad location. Bad timing. Bad everything.

That was when he saw a flash of red and gold in the trees.

Meanwhile, Kim was running into a problem of her own. Her own Kimmunicator had signal. But the GPS wasn't working. She was hopelessly lost.

"Ron might not like it here," she thought, "but he knows the Wannaweep woods like the back of his hand." The one time she told him to stop fooling around and leave...

"KP! Help!"

"I'm coming!"

More than ever, Kim felt like kicking herself in the pants. Ron was in danger, and she was nowhere nearby to save him!

Kim sprinted through the woods, not thinking twice about stealth. Then again, Ron wasn't being stealthy either - what else was new? She followed Ron's cries for help.

But in her rush, disaster struck. Kim usually looked where she was going. Blinded by darkness and her worry, she tripped over a log and fell. Her head hit a rock. The impact knocked her unconscious.

Mushu scrambled down the tree trunk, back to ground level. He had heard the cry for help... oh, it was that scrawny boy with the yellow hair. And it wasn't even an emergency! He was stuck in those itchy plants. Again.

"Man, he don't know nothing 'bout these woods." muttered Mushu.

That was when he saw a girl on the ground. Either sleeping or unconscious - judging by the lack of motion, probably unconscious.

Mushu sat on the rock and started to think. Did the scrawny boy with the yellow hair have a connection to this girl?

Just then, Ron stumbled out of a clearing. He looked down at Kim. What to make of this?

Another interruption: "Do you know her?"

Ron looked behind him and was face to face with a stunningly beautiful girl. Definitely from Asia, but where? And he didn't know her... or did he?"

"Yes." he stuttered. "She's my girlfriend."

Silence.

Mushu added, "She's unconscious."

The girl turned to Ron and asked if he knew rescue breathing.

"Yeah, but I don't have a..." Before Ron could say "sterile mask," the girl pushed him down.

Ron's lips were touching Kim's lips, as if they were kissing rather than conducting mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

And then they actually were kissing.

Mushu and the girl looked at each other, then at the sweethearts, then back again. This was too cute!

Kim's eyes opened just as Ron drew away from the kiss. She sat up slowly, cradled in Ron's arms. Kim's father was right when he said "anything was possible for a Possible." This included romantic moments at decidedly unromantic locations.

The moment soon became less romantic, however, when Kim saw the girl and Mushu.

"Ron," she asked suspiciously, "was Yori invited to this mission?"

"Yori?" The girl looked and sounded offended. "That's not my name!"

Kim tried not to act too surprised at this direct remark. This clearly wasn't Ron's friend from the ninja school. Hair was too long, skin was too fair. Wrong outfit too, a purple Northern-style kung fu uniform rather than a ninja's black one-piece. And yet, Kim couldn't help but think she had seen this girl before...

The girl spoke again. "Oh, how rude of me to not introduce myself. My name is Fa Mulan."

Mushu flicked his tail impatiently.

"And this is the great and powerful Mushu." Mulan gave Mushu a teasing nudge.

"I didn't know you had a pet lizard." Ron pretended to sound interested. Great and powerful indeed! A naked mole rat probably had better credentials.

"Not lizard, dragon!" Mushu snapped, clawing at the air to make a point. "Who do you think you are?"

Mulan picked up Mushu and told him to stop.

"Ron Stoppable." answered Ron. "And this is my girlfriend, Kim Possible."

"Nice to meet you." Mulan tried to sound cordial. "Both of you."

Little did they know that they were being watched...

"There she is." hissed Galyn Khaan. His yellow eyes burned with rage at the sight of the woman who killed his father. A falcon perched on his broad shoulder, staring ahead with unblinking focus.

Galyn Khaan, whose name meant "fire king," was the son of Shan Yu. Stories told of how Shan Yu was so close to reaching his goal of dominating China, but was killed in battle. Bad enough that he got killed, worse that a woman managed such a feat. The only person suited to carry out revenge was Galyn Khaan. And he was more than willing to do so.

He turned to the falcon. "Shuurga, scout ahead." The falcon, whose name meant "storm," promptly obeyed.

Mulan was explaining to Kim and Ron how she got to Camp Wannaweep. At the part about portals, her keen eyes spotted a familiar silhouette in the air. Immediate subject change.

"Mushu, didn't you make short work of Shan Yu's falcon?"

"Yep." boasted Mushu. "Roasted it for Mongolian barbecue."

"Then why is a falcon that looks almost exactly like that one flying over our heads?"

Shuurga perched on an old pine. He stared down at his targets with eyes like golden daggers. Mulan, Mushu, Kim, and Ron stared back, trying to figure out what was going on... and that was when Galyn Khaan charged out of the underbrush.

"Stay back!" shouted Mulan. She soon found herself locked in hand-to-hand combat with Galyn Khaan.

"I thought you were dead, Shan Yu." Mulan leapt out of the way of a punch, then came behind. She tried to strike at a pressure point on the neck, but missed by a few centimeters.

"I am not Shan Yu!" snarled Galyn Khaan. He pivoted and swung at Mulan. Mulan dodged again, then performed a leg-sweep to trip her enemy. It worked.

"Then who are you?" Mulan wasn't giving up.

"I'm his eldest son... Galyn Khaan!" roared Galyn Khaan. He sprang to his feet, and the fight began again.

Mushu seemed to have forgotten they were in a forest. He aimed a breath of fire at Galyn Khaan - and hit some dry plants instead. The fire spread rapidly.

Kim saw the flames advancing. There was no time to dawdle.

"Move out!" Kim shouted.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

By fate or good fortune, the four escaped safely. Galyn Khaan was most likely a pile of charcoal by now.

"That was too close." Mulan was breathless from her run. She then turned to Mushu, harshly reminding her travel-size dragon to avoid starting fires.

"At least we're out." Kim put a reassuring hand on Mulan's shoulder. "Let's go home."

Ron went his way and Kim went hers. Mulan followed Kim.

"Why are you going with me?" asked Kim.

"I can't be in the same house as a young man, unless there's a blood relation." explained Mulan. "Not to mention, he seems rather..."

Kim interrupted. "If you're about to say incompetent or foolish, don't."

Mulan said nothing more on the subject. But as always, Mushu couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"You like him, don't you?" he asked. It came across like a playground taunt.

"What is this, middle school?" Kim sounded and looked irritated. She turned to Mulan with an expression that said "can you make your dragon shut up?" Mulan shook her head no.

Kim, Mulan, and Mushu finally arrived at the Possible household. The lights were still on - a strange occurrence at 10:30 PM.

But that didn't matter. At this point, Kim was wondering about something. How could she understand what Mulan and Mushu were saying? And how did they understand what Kim was saying? She looked at her Kimmunicator and began to think.

That was it. Wade had installed an advanced translator on the Kimmunicator. Kim traveled the world on some missions, and not everyone spoke English. The translator allowed Kim to speak English, but the foreigner would understand it as his or her own language, and vice versa. This was how she conversed with her new friends so fluently.

"Hey guys?" Kim knocked at the door. "I'm here!"

Mulan shuddered, as if an unpleasant memory passed through her head. She quickly got over it and glared at Kim. "Not funny."

Funny or not, nobody answered the door. And this was the one time Kim didn't bring her house key!

Kim tried again. "I said, I'm..."

Mulan gave Kim a "don't-you-dare" look.

"Um, I'm home." Kim revised her sentence hastily.

Just then, the door opened. Identical twin boys stood there. They looked about 10 or maybe 12. They were surprisingly short, but the messy brown hair and trying-to-look-cool clothing signaled their true age. As usual, they paid no attention to Kim. Their blue eyes focused directly on the newcomer.

It was Jim and Tim. Long ago, they had been dubbed "tweebs" by Kim. This was an insulting portmanteau of the words "twin" and "dweebs."

Jim fumbled with the front of his green shirt. Tim started doing the same thing with his own shirt, which was red. It was as if they were trying to close the shirts over.

Mulan was puzzled at this odd behavior. She realized their shirts didn't have closures of any kind. Underneath the open shirts were plain white tee shirts.

Kim was equally confused. "You tweebs never play with your shirts! Why are you doing that now?"

"Because there's a princess here..." began Jim.

Tim finished the sentence: "...and we want to look presentable."

They folded their hands and bowed.

"OK, let's get one thing straight!" snapped Mulan. "I am not a princess!"

The tweebs had also bowed incorrectly. Mulan decided to deal with these culturally inept boys in the morning.

Once inside, Kim showed Mulan the guest room. It had a small bed that seemed smaller due to an excess of pillows and blankets, a basic closet, and a night stand with two drawers. Simple, but comfortable. The guest room had a bathroom in close proximity, which was an added benefit.

"I hope you enjoy your sleep." said Kim politely.

"Before that," pointed Mulan, "I'd like to ask you something."

"OK... what is it?"

"Does the bathroom have hot water?"

Kim stifled laughter as a rather unflattering movie scene played in her head. She then answered in such a way that wouldn't annoy Mulan.

"Yes. To get hot water, turn the knob with the red center. If it's too hot, you can turn the knob with the blue center. The blue one cools it down."

"Thank you." Mulan made a quick head-bow. She then went into the guest room - it was time for bed. Kim decided the same and went to her own room.

The next morning, Kim received a rude awakening: a shower turning on, immediately followed by high-pitched cry of shock. She drowsily glanced at the clock. It was 7 AM on a weekend! Who was up and in the shower so early?

The shower turned off as quickly as it turned on. Kim heard someone grumbling - it sounded like Mulan. Turning on the Kimmunicator for translation, Kim was able to catch a few words. And they weren't very nice words.

Sure enough, Mulan stumbled into the room. She was wrapped in a bathrobe. Even in the snuggly fabric, she was soaked and shivering.

"Mulan, are you all right?" Kim sounded concerned.

"No..." Mulan kept shivering.

"What happened?"

"You said the red handle had hot water, but it came out freezing..." More shivering.

Kim almost laughed. Then she reconsidered. It was funny in a movie, but certainly not in real life.

"Let me see what happened." Kim put a hand on Mulan's shoulder and went to the guest bathroom.

Something didn't look right about the shower handles. Kim scraped at the red handle. The red peeled off - it was electrical tape - revealing the blue handle underneath.

"Oh, no, they didn't!" Kim growled. Her next word came as a yell: "TWEEBS!"

Jim and Tim emerged from their hiding spot, plotting and snickering in twin-speak.

A few choice words came from Kim's room, where Mulan was trying to warm up. Mulan eventually came out in one of Kim's outfits.

"What was the princess saying?" asked Tim.

"One," snapped Mulan, "I'm not a princess. Two, nobody deserves hypothermia in the morning!"

Taking advantage of the voice fluctuations of early puberty, Jim and Tim started singing the last song Mulan wanted to hear.

"That does it!" Mulan had officially lost her patience. In a matter of seconds, she assumed a fighting stance and knocked out both tweebs with a swift-and-powerful kick.

Kim gaped when she saw this. Not because her brothers were unconscious. That was secretly relieving. It was because Mulan kept her balance through the whole thing - a feat even Kim had trouble with from time to time.

"Can you teach me that kick?" asked Kim.

"On one condition." Mulan looked at Kim seriously. "Make sure those pesky boys don't pull that prank again."

Kim nodded. She noticed Mulan's long black hair was dripping wet and slightly tangled. "Mind if I fix your hair?"

"Please be gentle." pleaded Mulan.

Mulan's hair wasn't so wet anymore, thanks to a quick-dry conditioner. Kim soon began finger-combing. Oh, this felt so good!

Mulan turned around and handed a ribbon to Kim.

"What do you want me to do with this?" Kim was confused.

"Can you braid my hair?"

Kim accepted. She liked braiding, but couldn't find anyone to do that with. But what kind of braid did Mulan want?

"Just a regular three strand." Mulan seemed to have read Kim's mind. That made life easy.

But fate often had a cruel sense of humor. Just when Kim thought life was easy, it soon became unbelievably difficult.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kim was still braiding Mulan's hair. Both girls were relaxed. They chatted as if they were already good friends. But at one point, Kim overstepped the boundary.

"So what kind of shampoo do you use?" asked Kim.

"Why are you asking?" Mulan sounded offended. Shampoo was for bathing; that was supposed to be private.

Kim thought for a moment. "Because your hair is so soft and shiny."

"Well," countered Mulan, "I don't see why that's any concern of yours."

"Two things." said Kim. "One, that's a compliment. Two..." How could she explain this? "...I want to see if whatever you use on your hair would work on mine."

Mulan wanted to shake her head, but remembered that Kim was trying to braid. Shaking her head would lead to pulling on her hair. That was something she hated.

Just then, the Kimmunicator started ringing. Kim tried to ignore it. Alas, ignoring it didn't make it stop. It rang and rang and rang some more.

"Oh, just pick it up, for Heaven's sake!" Mulan snapped. She couldn't stand the beeping.

Kim tied the ribbon around the end of Mulan's braid, then proceeded to answer the call.

"Sitch, Wade?" asked Kim.

"It's not good. I picked up signals of a space-time warp…"

"A portal?" interrupted Kim.

"Something like that…" Wade's voice trailed off.

"Well, I'd say it's a blessing in disguise." Kim turned the screen towards Mulan.

There was an awkward pause as both Mulan and Wade tried to figure out who the other person was.

Wade was the first to speak. "So this is the portal traveler?"

"My name is Mulan."

"Um… you don't have a last name?" Wade was confused.

"Family name, you clueless little…"

"Mulan, just tell him your family name." groaned Kim.

"My family name is Hua."

Kim tilted her head. "I thought you said your family name was Fa."

"Things get lost in translation…" Mulan sighed. She soon turned back to the screen. "Anyway, what's your name?"

"Wade Load." said Wade. "It's nice to meet you, Mulan."

Just then, the screen went blank.

"Crap." muttered Kim. "It froze."

Mulan said something in response. This time, Kim didn't understand it. What was going on? That was when Kim remembered: the Kimmunicator's translator feature was their only means of understanding one another.

"Great, now she has to learn English." Kim couldn't help but grumble about her new role as a language teacher.

"Or," said Mulan in slow English, "you learn Chinese language."

OK, so Mulan understood a few things. Nonetheless, Kim didn't know where to begin... maybe a dictionary?

Just then, the two heard Kim's mother coming up the stairs. She opened the door and looked around. Mulan was still kneeling, her hair in a sleek braid.

"Kim, Ron is here." said Kim's mother.

Kim jumped to her feet. Mulan followed, with her waist-length braid swinging behind her like a thick black rope.

Ron had come on his bike. Usually he traveled via his motor scooter, but that was broken.

"Hey hey, look who's here!" said Ron. He got off the bike and went over to Kim. The lovers shared a kiss.

Just then, Rufus scrambled out of Ron's pocket. Rufus made a little sighing noise at the sight of Ron and Kim caught up in a kiss.

"What is that?" asked Mulan. She was speaking at a normal rate, but now Kim could understand. Thank goodness - the Kimmunicator must have un-frozen.

Mushu appeared on Mulan's shoulder. He had been hiding in her collar. "That freaky thing?" Completely befuddled, he gestured to Rufus.

Kim and Ron said at the same time: "Yes, that's right. It's a naked mole rat."

After a few minutes, Mulan looked intrigued by the bike. "And what's this?"

"Oh," said Ron, "that's my bike." He looked back at Mulan and Mushu casually, then patted his bike - which careened over. It rattled as it hit the ground.

"Aw, man..." Ron picked up the bike and tried to put the kickstand down.

"Is it like a horse?" asked Mulan.

Kim tried to explain. "Well, sort of. Only it's not an animal, and instead of legs it has wheels."

"Here's how you ride it." said Ron. Rufus jumped back into Ron's pocket.

Ron swung his leg over the seat and cross bars. Then he pushed off and started pedaling. He continued to look back at the two newcomers and Kim.

He hadn't covered a few yards before he came across a pothole.

"Ron! Look out!" warned Kim.

Too late - his bike hit the hole in the road. The bike embedded its front tire in the hole, jerking the back end straight up. This abrupt motion made Ron fly off the seat - and shortly after, crash-land in the road. Rufus sailed out of Ron's half-open pocket like a small projectile, and tumbled a bit before finding his bearings.

Rufus dashed over to Kim. He began chattering in naked mole rat language to explain.

"Rufus, I saw what happened." sighed Kim, somewhat exasperated. She scooped Rufus up into her hands, and went over to the crash site. Mulan followed. Mushu decided to stay behind.

"So the bike really is like a horse." observed Mulan. "If you ride it wrong, it throws you."

Kim found some truth in those words. They sounded ridiculous at first, but a little thinking proved otherwise.

Mulan turned to Ron and added: "Perhaps somebody needs to show you how to ride, instead of you trying to show us."

Ron got up and brushed himself off.

"Can you do better?" he challenged.

"Let's see..." Mulan mounted the bike like she would a horse. Then she did a terrific push-off and began pedaling. Surprisingly, she avoided holes and bumps better than Ron did. She used the handlebars like reins and leaned into turns with nearly perfect balance.

After a while, Mulan stopped pedaling and coasted along. Then she stretched her heels down in a cross between back-pedaling and asking a horse to stop.

Kim, Ron, and Rufus couldn't believe it. Mulan got off the bike as easily as she got on it.

Mushu hopped onto Mulan's shoulder again.

"Boo-yah!" he cheered. "My little baby's got this!" Mulan blushed. She didn't particularly like it when Mushu called her his "little baby."

Ron looked indignant. "Hey, that's my line!"

This almost got ugly. By a stroke of good fortune - if it could be called that - the Kimmunicator rang. Kim pulled it out of her pocket.

"What's the sitch?"

Wade looked worried. "Someone else hitched a ride on a portal..."

He showed a picture of a hulking man dressed in a patchwork of furs and primitively cured leather. An unsheathed sword with a jagged blade was secured to his hip. A falcon perched on his broad shoulder.

"He's already been identified as a villain." continued Wade. "I just got some information on him."

The photo broke down into a 3-D blueprint, slowly rotating on the screen. Statistics displayed on the side.

Name: Galyn Khaan (Fire King)

Nationality: Mongolian

Eyes: Yellow

Hair: Black, collarbone-length with shaven forehead

Abilities: Superhuman strength and stamina, resistant to extreme heat, heals almost instantly from burns

Primary Weapon: Fire Sword

Sidekick: Falcon, named Shuurga (Storm)

Wade continued. "It won't be an easy mission. You'll be lucky if you can capture him. Killing him would be even harder."

Kim remembered what went down in the Wannaweep woods. It had ended in a forest fire. If the information was that recent, that meant Galyn Khaan managed to survive!

"We're going with you." Mulan insisted.

Kim looked at Mulan in shock. "We...?"

Mushu cleared his throat. This really disturbed Kim. He was the one that started the fire. Who knew what damage he could cause?

Ron interrupted Kim's thoughts. "We're on it!"

Now they had no choice. Mulan and Mushu were coming on a mission. What would become of this?

TO BE CONTINUED...


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

As the team made their way through the cavernous old hangar, Mulan began to complain. Not about the total darkness and Kim's refusal to use a light of any sort. Not about the musty smell of deteriorating framework. Not about the putty-like goop she stepped in a few minutes ago. It was about something completely unrelated.

"These clothes don't fit me." pouted Mulan. "At all."

"Look," grumbled Kim, "that martial arts uniform so wasn't mission material."

The reason for this argument was that Kim had to scramble together a mission outfit for Mulan. It was Kim's old one. The old one consisted of a fitted black cropped top with three-quarter sleeves, loose olive-green cargo pants cinched at the ankles, black shoes, and thick gray gloves. A utility belt was slung around Mulan's hips. The whole outfit constantly needed adjusting.

Ron told the ladies to be quiet. His tone was firm - something he usually had trouble with. Kim and Mulan settled the dispute with no more than a nod.

At that moment, Mulan's battle intuition suddenly heightened. "Stay on your guard."

Kim was about to counter that point. Despite extensive training, Mulan wasn't qualified for stealth missions.

Just then, they smelled something burning.

"Uh oh..." Mushu jumped out of Mulan's cargo pocket.

"What is it?" asked Ron.

Mushu pointed at a corner of the hangar. An electrified green glow illuminated the dark space.

"Shego! Why didn't you stay hidden?!" scolded a grating male voice.

"Keep it up, Dr. D," retorted a sarcastic female voice, "and I'll tell Galyn Khaan you failed to capture Mulan."

"We know where you are." threatened Kim and Mulan. Surprisingly, they had spoken at the same time.

The female voice was punctuated by an evil laugh. "How about now?"

With those words, the green glow abruptly vanished. The only clue to the hiding spot was footsteps. Muffled, almost silent - but still loud enough for the team to hear.

That was when Mulan felt a searing heat near her back. She whirled around in defense, and was face to face with Shego.

"You think you can sneak up on her?" teased Mushu. "Well, you got another thing comin'..."

"Mushu, would you be quiet for..."

Before Mulan could finish, Shego swiped. Mulan swiftly middle-blocked. The green clouds around Shego's hands grazed Mulan's right arm.

"AII-YAA!" Mulan screamed. She looked at the red, oozing wound on her arm. Then she remembered her training. Focusing on something else besides the burn would dull the pain.

Drakken was watching the fight. Shego had practically sealed victory without a problem. He gloated, "You think you're all that..."

Then he paused. Who was the new team member? What was her name?

"My name is Mulan!" yelled Mulan. She ignored the pain of the first toxic burn and was back in the fight. Shego didn't hesitate on a second strike; this time she missed.

Ron jumped into the fight - literally. "Mulan, heads up!"

Unfortunately, Ron had gravely miscalculated the distance between himself and Shego. He tried to drop-kick the villainess, but landed flat on his face.

"Ron, quit fooling around!" yelled Kim. Ron must not have heard. He tried to cover for Mulan by standing in front of her.

"Bring it!" taunted Ron.

"Ron, you're in my way!" Mulan tried to move to the front. Ron was surprisingly nimble. He looked like a basketball player trying to block an opponent from scoring - but the only person he was blocking was Mulan. And she wasn't happy about it.

Shego paused to make one of her signature smart remarks. "Oh look, the sidekick tries to save a princess." She got in stance and kicked Ron aside. "Not today."

Kim performed a series of flawless handsprings, entering the battle with all the precision and power that was the hallmark of her fighting style.

"Two against one." bragged Mushu. "Liking these odds!"

"Make that three!" said Ron, jumping to his feet.

Now it was Mulan's turn to be sarcastic. "Do you not know how to focus?"

Mulan threw a left roundhouse kick at Shego. The kick made contact with Shego's chest. The villainess stumbled from the impact, but was back at it within seconds.

Surprised at how quickly Shego recovered, Mulan aimed for a head-height spinning kick. Again, perfect shot. Shego flew backwards - landing on top of Drakken.

"Shego, get off me!" Drakken snapped.

Shego was quick to do so. Mushu had seen this, however, and felt the need to comment. "Ooh, the bad guys gettin' busy…"

"Mushu!" yelled Mulan. "Instead of making crude comments, maybe you could…"

Mulan didn't have a chance to finish. Shego charged at Mulan and stopped mere inches away.

"You think you're all that?" Shego was trash talking again.

Mulan never liked trash talk - it was considered dishonorable conduct - but she felt this was a time that the standards didn't apply.

"As a matter of fact, I do. And…"

Shego turned on her gloves. Mulan winced from the heat on her exposed midsection, and stepped back. This action put her in range for a toxic punch.

Mulan cried out and collapsed. Shego left the scene, disappearing into the dark corner from where she first emerged.

Mushu looked at Mulan, then at the receding green glow. "Oh, no, she didn't!"

He tried to pursue Shego, but it was too late.

Mulan drew in a ragged breath. "Mushu… she's gone…" It was nothing short of a miracle that Mushu heard this. He came to Mulan's side, hoping to comfort her.

The last thing the team heard was the whooshing noise of a flying vehicle, followed by evil laughter.

Ron couldn't believe it. "They never get away that easily!"

Kim wasn't focused so much on the fact that her foes escaped. She was more worried about Mulan.

"Ron, do you still have that first aid kit?"

"Yeah… but I think it's empty."

"Empty?!" Kim couldn't believe it. "Why would you carry an empty first aid kit?"

Ron took the kit out of his pack anyway, and handed it to Kim. Kim opened the kit and saw a neon green booklet. It contained a list of emergency contacts. Kim flipped through the pages until she found the number of the Tri-City hospital.

"I'm going to call the hospital." said Kim. "Ron, you make sure Mushu doesn't do anything foolish."

Ron was indignant. "That's not my job!"

Kim wasn't having it. "Mulan's injured. Until she's better, it is your job."

"But… but…"

Kim wasn't up for that. "None of your excuses!"

Mulan weakly turned her head toward Kim. "Not funny…"

Kim apologized. She could only hope the ambulance would come soon.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

They arrived at Tri-City Hospital sometime in the evening.

Three strong-looking EMTs rushed out of the hospital doors. Two of them lifted Mulan's stretcher out of the ambulance. The third pushed a medical cart up to the ambulance doors and helped load the stretcher onto the medical cart.

Kim and Ron paused to give Rufus and Mushu a chance to conceal themselves. Rufus jumped into one of Ron's cargo pockets, while Mushu scrambled into Kim's pack. The EMTs straightened out the cart and rushed back into the hospital. Kim and Ron were quick to follow.

A nurse by the name of Marie carefully removed the old mission clothes and dressed Mulan in a hospital gown. "So what happened?" asked Marie.

She had directed this question at Mulan, but received no answer. Mulan had succumbed to exhaustion.

Marie then turned to Kim. "You look familiar. Who are you?"

"Kim Possible." said Kim. "I volunteer in the pediatric unit every other weekend."

"Kim, do you know what happened to her?"

"We were on a mission." explained Kim. "Shego struck her on the right arm and lower abdomen."

Marie thought for a few. "First we need to debride the burns. Then we need to contain the radiation."

"How long will she have to stay in the hospital?" asked Kim.

Marie shook her head. "I don't know for certain, but it definitely won't be a quick in-and-out. Those wounds are severe."

Ron sighed reluctantly. "Good thing it's summer."

"Did she eat or drink anything after midnight?" asked Dr. Thompson. Dr. Thompson was a burn specialist. She had seen a lot of nasty wounds in her career. But never anything like this.

"Yes." said Kim.

Dr. Thompson shook her head.

"That means she can't have general anesthesia." said Dr. Thompson. "The best we can do is to use a local anesthetic, and administer pain medication after the procedure."

"Let's pretend I don't know what that means." said Ron.

"It means I can't use a drug to let her painlessly sleep through this." explained Dr. Thompson. "The best I can do is numb the wound, then give her a pill to help relieve any discomfort."

Dr. Thompson sprayed a chemical on the arm wound. It was intended to numb the area by cooling it.

Mulan had been asleep. At the sudden cold on her right arm, she bolted awake. The temperature gradient between the burn and the chemical was too steep.

"Mulan, calm down. That's to numb it." Kim reassured.

"What is she going to do?" asked Mulan. Her eyes focused on a sterile tray with medical instruments placed on it.

"She's going to treat the burn on your arm."

"Will it… AHHHH!" Mulan screamed in agony. She looked down at her right arm. Dr. Thompson had inserted a probe into the wound, and was scraping out debris.

"Mulan, don't look at your arm." Kim's voice was gentle. "Look at me."

Dr. Thompson began to cut away the dead tissue. Tears welled up in Mulan's eyes and she screamed again.

"Just look at me, Mulan." repeated Kim. "It's going to be over soon."

Kim continued trying to soothe Mulan. Ron wasn't nearly as helpful. Once he threw up while dissecting a frog in biology class. Being present for a real procedure was exponentially worse. Watching the debridement made him pass out.

Dr. Thompson paused. "Is he all right?"

"He has a weak stomach." explained Kim. She tried not to roll her eyes.

"Oh." Dr. Thompson washed out the area to make sure no loose tissue or debris was left.

By the time the debridement procedure was over, Mulan was breathing irregularly; all her main muscles were tense. The healing hurt more than the wound.

"What about that other wound?" asked Kim.

"That's too big of an area for a surgical debridement. It needs to be removed by another method."

"Isn't there a whirlpool tub somewhere?" asked Kim. She had heard of a pediatric burn victim who went through that treatment. The lukewarm water relaxed the whole body, while the jets cleansed the wound and blasted off the damage.

"As a matter of fact," said Dr. Thompson, "there is."

"Privacy, if you don't mind." complained Mulan.

"This room is about as private as you're going to get." countered Dr. Thompson.

Mulan grumbled something, but it was too quiet for the Kimmunicator's translation capability to pick up.

Kim decided to intervene before Mulan was thrown into another uncomfortable situation. "Does the name Dr. Ann Possible sound familiar?"

Dr. Thompson nodded.

"Dr. Possible is my mother. Before I went to volunteer in the pediatric unit, she taught me how to care for a patient's needs."

"This isn't a pediatric patient we're dealing with, Miss Possible." Dr. Thompson sounded slightly condescending.

"Mulan," asked Kim, "how old are you again?"

"I'm 17." answered Mulan.

Kim turned to Dr. Thompson. "That's within the upper age range of pediatric care."

Ron had since regained consciousness and returned. He added his own point. "Kim knows more about the patient than you do. Instead of seeing a standard case, Kim can treat her as an individual."

Dr. Thompson was dumbfounded. This was breaking practically every rule in the book! But at the same time, Kim and Ron had a point. After a long pause, Dr. Thompson decided to let Mulan have privacy.

They went to the radiation specialist next. His name was Dr. Wagner. Dr. Wagner had analyzed samples of various radioactive toxins - including the energy that Shego could generate from her hands. Most of the toxins had been removed in the respective debridement procedures. Nonetheless, Dr. Wagner wanted to make sure there wasn't anything left in those wounds.

He did a scan of Mulan's whole body. This was to make sure nothing had spread.

"Surprisingly," said Dr. Wagner, "she's clear."

"How long will she have to stay?" asked Ron.

Dr. Wagner gave an answer nobody wanted to hear: "At least a week."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The week in the hospital was probably the hardest week the team had ever spent. Kim and Ron took turns caring for Mulan, doing everything in their power to make their new friend comfortable.

One thing wasn't in their power: the hospital food. Unlike the school cafeteria, it was easier to distinguish questionable vegetables from mystery meat. Either way, both were completely flavorless.

Some outdoors types say that when a person is truly hungry, practically anything is edible.

They obviously hadn't met Mulan.

The whole time Mulan was at the hospital, she refused to eat.

"You need to eat something." said Ron one day. He pushed a bowl towards Mulan. It was full of a thick off-white liquid with unidentifiable tan chunks floating in it. This was the hospital's version of creamy chicken soup.

"Just pretend it's rice porridge or something." Kim added.

Mulan took a whiff of the soup and made a face. "Sure doesn't smell like it." she complained.

Kim pressed on. "If your mother cooked something you didn't like, would you still eat it?"

"Yes." Mulan grumbled.

"Why?" asked Kim.

"Because she spent a lot of time and energy making a meal, and not eating it would be a waste… but whoever cooked this obviously didn't spend much of anything."

"It's still a waste." pointed Ron. "I bet there are starving little kids in other parts of the world who would eat this without complaining."

Mulan thought about that for a while. She then picked up a spoon and took a taste. The minute it entered her mouth, she immediately gagged.

After a while, a nurse walked in. It was Marie, the one who had first seen Mulan at the hospital. Marie had come to perform a routine check-up.

She got Mulan to sit up, and checked the burn sites. Nothing more than two considerable scars.

"Mulan," announced Marie, "this is your last day in the hospital. Your burns are healed, so you can leave any time."

"Good!" Mulan sounded satisfied. "I'll get to eat something decent."

Marie shook her head.

Meanwhile, Mulan got up out of the bed and started walking away.

"No," said Kim, "you have to get dressed first. You can't go out in that hospital gown."

Mulan glanced at a reflective surface. She agreed with Kim. Nobody needed to see that.

"Where are her clothes?" asked Ron.

Kim looked at the chair Ron was in. "You're sitting on them."

Ron stood up. There was Mulan's purple martial arts uniform, the clothes she had first worn.

"Boy, am I glad that's over." Mulan sighed in relief as she took her usual seat at the table.

"Same." said Kim. "What do you want for lunch?"

Mulan thought for a while. "How about that chicken with the lemon glaze, and some white rice?"

"Coming right up." said Kim.

Kim knew her way around the kitchen. Ever since that Home Ec class she was forced to take during her sophomore year, she resolved to be the best chef in the Possible family.

At the moment, she was brushing the lemon glaze onto thin strips of chicken. Steam rose from the top of the rice cooker - that was almost done. Perfect timing!

"Hey Kim!"

Kim didn't look up. "Not now, tweebs." she threatened.

Just then, a miniature rocket came zooming into the kitchen. It looped around the room without any semblance of control. That is, until it came straight for Kim's head. Kim grabbed a frying pan and slammed the rocket.

CLANG!

The rocket was now a crumpled pile of metal on the kitchen floor.

Mulan looked up at the noise. A second rocket was aimed at her head. She took a dagger and threw it at the rocket. The rocket ripped in half and fell… but the dagger kept going. Kim ducked just in time.

When Kim got up, she saw a new problem: the dagger had embedded itself in the kitchen wall. Small cracks in the shape of a spiderweb radiated from the point of impact.

Kim glared at Mulan. "We've been over this, Mulan. No throwing daggers in the house!"

Mulan slapped her forehead. "Oops…"

Jim and Tim snickered. Kim stormed over to their hiding place.

"You tweebs are so busted."

"Ron, could you take out the garbage?" asked Mrs. Stoppable.

"Sure thing." said Ron. "Nothing this man can't handle!" He flexed his non-existent biceps, a smug smile on his face.

Mrs. Stoppable smiled and shook her head.

Ron stepped outside, whistling a song that was stuck in his head. But he wasn't paying attention to where he was walking - and tripped over a rock. He ended up with his face in the grass.

Rufus tumbled out of Ron's pocket.

A few seconds passed. Ron got on fours and spit out some dirt. That was when Rufus made a scared naked mole rat noise. He scrambled back into Ron's pocket.

"Rufus, what's wrong buddy?"

Ron noticed a tall shadow over him. He looked up - and saw another man.

This one was a little taller than Ron, and much more muscular. Soft black hair tied in a ponytail, a distinctly angled face, intense dark eyes… why did he look so familiar?

He stared Ron down, the same way Mr. Barkin did. Ron began to shake. That stare never led to anything good. But then the man said something. It sounded like a different language.

"Uh, could you say that again?"

The man didn't seem to understand. Instead of repeating the phrase, he said something else. Ron didn't catch any of it, until the sentence ended with a familiar name…

"Mulan?" Ron repeated. "Do you know her?"

"As a matter of fact, yes."

Ron turned around and saw Kim standing on the sidewalk. Next to her stood Mulan. Kim had the Kimmunicator out, which was why the man's language was understandable.

Mulan's eyes went wide and a smile spread across her face. She squealed and ran into the man's embrace.

"Oh, Shang…" sighed Mulan. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Mulan."

Kim and Ron exchanged confused glances.

"That must be her lover." concluded Kim. She began to look dreamy-eyed.

"Snap out of it, KP." Ron tickled Kim, hoping to break her trance. It worked, but even after the tickles, she couldn't stop giggling. Ron shook his head.

"Don't mind me." Kim said when the lovebirds finally turned around. She was trying not to show her blushing.

"Oh, how rude of me not to introduce myself." said the man. "My name is Li Shang, but don't worry about addressing me by my full name." Shang bowed. "May I know your names?"

"I'm Ron." said Ron. He nervously extended his hand. Kim was quick to hit Ron's hand down. Handshakes weren't a polite gesture in China. If nothing else, that was a way to spread germs.

"You don't have a family name?" Shang tilted his head.

"Stoppable." stuttered Ron. He bowed nervously.

Kim bowed. "My name is Possible Kimberly." she said with a sense of dignity, making sure to put the family name first. "Please call me Kim."

"It's nice to meet you, Kim." said Shang.

Mulan gave Shang a nuzzle. "So what brings the great Captain all the way to Middleton?"

Shang answered simply: "Portal accident."

"Who's going to show up next, Cinderella?" muttered Kim.

Ron didn't seem to mind at all. "Now we have a full team of six!"

"Six?" asked Shang. "There's only four of us."

Rufus boldly emerged from Ron's pocket. Mushu popped his head out of Kim's purse.

"Six, counting the animals." said Ron.

Mulan snatched Mushu out of Kim's purse. Mushu began to struggle.

"Just because you're travel size doesn't mean you get to travel with other people." scolded Mulan.

"You jealous or something, girl?" challenged Mushu.

"No." Mulan affirmed. "It's not a jealousy thing. It's an asking-for-permission thing. And last time I checked, Kim didn't want you hiding in her purse."

"Got that right." Kim glared at Mushu.

Back at the Possible household, Kim had no shortage of explaining to do.

"Two of them now?" Kim's father, Dr. Possible, looked at Mulan and Shang critically. Not necessarily because of their sudden appearance, but because they were snuggled up on the couch. "I'd like to know what's going on with these portals."

Kim began: "Dad, I don't know much about portals, but…"

"Cootie alert!" teased Jim and Tim.

"You tweebs!" Mulan jumped to her feet and chased the troublemakers out of the room.

Kim looked surprised. There wasn't a word for "tweeb" in whatever ancient Chinese dialect Mulan spoke.

"Blasted twins…" muttered Shang. "Twins are considered bringers of bad luck back home. Now I know why."

Mulan stormed back into the room. "And bringers of cold showers." she added angrily. "I swear to the ancestors, if they pull that prank more time…"

"What is it with you and cold showers?" asked Shang. He had never understood Mulan's aversion.

"One, immersion in cold water is borderline painful. Two, everyone laughs at my reaction. Three - well, you know, bad memories!"

"Why don't you two go back to cuddling?" suggested Kim.

Mulan gladly listened. Directing anger at Kim's brothers was tiring. She put her head in Shang's lap and fell asleep.

"Oh, my sweet magnolia…" breathed Shang. He proceeded to nuzzle and kiss Mulan, caressing her hair and holding her close. "I'll gladly be your pillow."

Kim felt a little jealous. She wished Ron was here so she could have cuddle time as well. A small thought popped into her head, that snuggling with Shang would be just as nice. The thought got suppressed. Fulfilling her childhood crush wasn't worth causing a rift in the team.

Dr. Possible just went to another room and read the newspaper. He wanted nothing to do with this.

"Mulan," whispered Kim, "you are one lucky girl."

Just then, Mulan stirred. She smiled up at Shang, then turned to Kim. Kim suddenly felt guilty for her jealousy. It was right up Bonnie's alley.

And speaking of Bonnie, trouble was waiting outside...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Whoooa!"

CRASH!

Everyone looked up at the loud noise. It was outside, thank goodness. But what - or who - could have gone down?

"I'll get that." said Shang. He stood up and began to walk to the door.

Kim glanced out the window. She put her hand on Shang's arm. "No. You won't."

Shang threw Kim's hand off. "Don't tell me what to do, Possible Kimberly!"

"I go by Kim, remember? And trust me, you don't…"

Kim didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Shang had already opened the door. He looked around. "Nothing here… strange…"

That was when Shang looked down. A slender, tan-skinned brunette was sprawled out on the lawn. She must have tripped on something…

"Excuse me, miss, but are you all right?"

The brunette stood up, her narrow teal eyes glinting like ceremonial jade daggers. "My name is Bonnie!" she snapped. Then she saw who had come to her assistance. Hot guy… nice enough to help… time to play nice in return.

"Sorry about that." Bonnie's acidic attitude turned sweeter than soft caramel. "Just a little annoyed after Kim put that rock there…"

"Bonnie, you're so wrong!" Kim had since walked outside. "That mosaic stepping stone has been there for years, and you know it."

"Well, excuse me." said Bonnie, turning around and flipping her layered locks. "Forgot about your little third grade project."

"Eighth grade project that won first prize in the Tri-City Student Art Show." corrected Kim.

"Oh, just have to brag, don't you?" Bonnie retorted.

Just then, Mulan walked out. "Kim, who's the girl with the uneven hair?"

Bonnie fumed at that remark. "My name is Bonnie. And my hair is not uneven!"

Mulan got a little closer. "Nope." she noted. "It's uneven."

"I'll show you uneven hair!" threatened Bonnie, reaching into her pocket and brandishing a switchblade knife.

"Well, now I know that I won't turn my back on you." Mulan tried to sound tough, but her worry broke through.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Break it up, ladies." Shang tried to stop a potential fight before it started. Surprisingly, it worked: Bonnie put the knife away.

Kim rolled her eyes. "I told you two not to come outside…"

Shang began to fumble in his pockets. "Hmm… that's odd…"

"If you're looking for your dagger, you left it under the tree." said Mulan.

"Don't see it there." said Kim, scanning around the tree.

"Then where did it go?" asked Mulan.

That was when they heard a falcon's screech and wings taking to the air.

"Good work, Shuurga." said Galyn Khaan. The falcon had since returned to Drakken's new woodland lair. "Wait, what's that in your talons?"

Shuurga lifted one foot and loosened his grip. Galyn Khaan took the object - a dagger.

"This probably doesn't belong to her." said Galyn Khaan to himself.

He turned it over in his hands and examined the dagger. He started with the wooden handle. Olive-brown, very fine grain, with a cedar-like fragrance. Then he moved onto the steel blade - hard, the edges sharp, but far from brittle.

Laurel wood was expensive, and the metalwork was skilled. "She wouldn't have something this fine in her possession." concluded Galyn Khaan. "Only a higher officer could afford it…"

Realization dawned.

"...which means Li Shang must have joined her."

He looked at the dagger's handle again, and saw writing on a white patch. It wasn't calligraphy.

Galyn Khaan read aloud: "This knife belongs to Li Shang. If found, please return to owner."

He stuffed the knife in a bag he found earlier. "And return it I will." he gloated.

Drakken walked out from a cabin. "I don't know why you insisted on hiding in the forest, Galyn Khaan."

"I'm not hiding. I'm waiting." retorted Galyn Khaan.

"Waiting for what?" Shego's sarcastic voice came from inside the cabin. "I'm sick of roughing it."

Galyn Khaan answered. "Fa Mulan and Li Shang won't last long in the city before they're overwhelmed. Sooner or later, they'll want a respite from the chaos, and where better than the woodlands?"

Drakken almost interrupted, but Galyn Khaan continued. "They won't come alone. Kim and Ron will be with them. Then all four will be in our clutches."

"Brilliant plan!" Drakken's bad mood did a 180-degree shift.

Bonnie prepared to leave the three. "See you at school, losers." she spat. Then she pivoted, flipped her hair, began to leave - but tripped on that stepping stone. Again. Muttering a few nasty words, she left.

"Two for two." Mulan nodded in a satisfied manner. Kim agreed.

Shang grumbled. "Forget about that sour-tempered girl. Whoever took that dagger is in for it!" A tear came to his eye, but he forced it away. "That was my father's gift to me when I completed officer training…"

"Then we have to find it." resolved Kim.

Mulan agreed. "I hate to see Shang in tears."

Despite all Shang's attempts against crying, tears came anyway.

"Too late." said the girls in unison. Mulan went over to Shang and started cuddling him.

"City life is really messing us up." explained Mulan. "I think a little excursion to the woods would be nice."

"Not without me and Ron." said Kim. "The team has to stay together."

"Will the tent be big enough for 4?" asked Shang. He wasn't crying as hard now.

"My dad has a large tent." explained Kim. She looked nostalgic. "Before the tweebs were born, Dad used to take me to those woods for Constellation Camping."

"What's that?" asked Mulan.

Kim took a deep breath. "On weekends, Dad would take me out to the woods. We would stay up late to identify the constellations and tell their myths around the campfire. Then well before sunrise, we would wake up to see meteor showers and the planets."

"Sounds like fun." Shang didn't sound excited at all.

"Well, it's a chance to escape the city." prompted Mulan.

"Then let's get ready." said Kim. "I'll call Ron."

Ron met the rest of the team in woods, shortly before sunset. "Just in time for dinner!" he cheered.

"You still have to tell us what s'mores are." reminded Shang.

After a healthy dinner of Chinese dumplings, and s'mores for dessert, they pitched camp.

"Oh wow! S'mores are amazing!" Mulan had eaten five of the campfire sweets, and the sugar was making her hyper. She still had a bit of melted marshmellow on her cheek. Shang leaned over and kissed it away.

"Calm down, sweet magnolia. You can blossom in the morning." whispered Shang.

"You two…" Kim began, but then realized she wasn't any less mushy with Ron.

After everyone had settled down, they got into their sleeping bags and fell asleep.

"Hah." thought Galyn Khaan. "They're just where I want them…"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"Just where we want them is right." gloated Drakken. "Let's strike when they're asleep!"

"Uh, Dr. D, one little problem." said Shego.

Drakken turned around. "Shego…" he growled, "why must you always interfere with my genius plans?"

Shego was undeterred. Drakken didn't have a chance against her. "What if they wake up?"

"What if…" Galyn Khaan interjected, "only Mulan wakes up?"

Drakken rolled his eyes. Galyn Khaan's quest for revenge was getting in the way of defeating Kim.

Galyn Khaan continued. "Here's the plan. Just lure Mulan out of the tent and capture her. The others will follow her in a rescue attempt. Then we'll have all four of them begging for mercy."

"Not that we'll give them any." Shego liked the sound of the plan. "Wait - but how are we going to lure Mulan out of the tent?"

Turning to Drakken, Galyn Khaan made a request. "May I borrow Nightmare Weaver 2?"

Drakken happily obliged.

Mulan slept comfortably in the tent. At last, the sugar had worn off. Snuggled up in a warm sleeping bag. Shang's strong arms wrapped around her. The forest sounds singing a lullaby. It was heavenly.

Kim and Ron were each in their own sleeping bags. They, too, were asleep.

Little did they know the danger outside their tent. Galyn Khaan had placed Nightmare Weaver 2, then activated it from a distance. It was radiating the digital version of brain waves straight to Mulan's head.

"Where am I?" Mulan's shock was evident as she stood in a cavern. The sandstone walls and aggregate floor were streaked with reddish-brown. Total darkness enveloped her, except for flickering torches mounted on the walls.

"There she is! Get her!"

Mulan whirled around. Twelve barbaric figures - those of men - charged from the shadows.

"Where's a sword when I need it?" Mulan groaned. Then she got an idea. As the men closed in on her, she dropped and performed a leg-sweep. They tripped, dropping their weapons. Mulan snatched the sword of the one that fell closest to her. She was quick to do away with them.

Just when she thought her work was done…

"Mulan?" wheezed a familiar voice.

Mulan whirled around. It was Fa Zhou - her father. She had risked her life to save him before. Now she was ready to do so again.

"Father!" She ran up to Fa Zhou.

He was tied up against a stalagmite, the protrusions of the rock red with his blood.

"Father, I'll get you out of this…I promise..." She began to untie the ropes.

"Oh, look who's here." A voice as dark as a void echoed throughout the cave.

"You won't lay a hand on us!" Mulan shielded Fa Zhou with her own body.

"Mulan… leave before we both die." Fa Zhou drew a ragged breath.

Determined as ever, Mulan refused. "Neither of us will die."

A brawny hand grabbed Mulan's arm. "He will die by my sword." The voice paused. "And as for you, beautiful one, you will be my concubine."

"Not in ten thousand years!" Mulan fought against the grip. She succeeded in getting away. But in her fight, she left Fa Zhou unguarded.

A sword emerged, with flames around it. "Say goodbye to your father."

Mulan tried to move, but her feet seemed magnetized to the ground. She saw the flaming sword raise, and come to the front of Fa Zhou's neck…

"Mulan!" Shang had since woken up and left the sleeping bag. "Mulan, wake up!" He shook Mulan, hoping to break her nightmare.

Ron also woke up. He reached for an ice-water bottle and handed it to Shang. "Dump it on her!" Ron whispered desperately.

"Hope she forgives me for this…" Shang worried. He dumped the contents of the bottle on Mulan's head. The shock of the cold jarred Mulan awake.

"My father is in danger!" Mulan sprang out of her sleeping bag and ran out of the tent. But she didn't get far. She realized this was the forest near Middleton. And for some unknown reason, she was cold and wet.

"Well, at least I'm not undressed…" she muttered. She returned to the tent. Once inside, Shang started cuddling her.

"Oh, Mulan…" he whispered, "you're going to be all right." He ran his hands through her drenched hair.

Mulan spotted an empty water bottle and melting ice cubes. She wasn't in a cuddly mood anymore.

"Which one of you dumped ice water on me?"

The villains waited… and waited… and waited. If the plan had worked, Kim and company should have arrived long ago.

"Where are they?" Drakken was getting impatient.

"Dunno." Shego shrugged her shoulders.

Drakken looked on a shelf. He usually kept Nightmare Weaver 2 there. Now it was missing!

"Where is it…" Tension built in Drakken's grating voice.

"You shouldn't have made that pickle chip sandwich." Shego sang.

"That jar was impossible to open!" snapped Drakken. "Do you think I would have closed it without getting a few pickle chips?"

"No… those weren't pickle chips."

"Then what were they?!"

"Those weak memory-erase tablets you put in pickle jars and tried to sell in grocery stores. As if that shampoo commercial wasn't embarrassing enough."

"Shego! Don't bring that up!"

Shego gave Drakken one of those mocking looks. After all, she was right. Again.

Just then, the cabin door opened. Galyn Khaan stormed in.

"My plan didn't work!" In a rage, he threw Nightmare Weaver 2 at Drakken. Drakken failed to catch it. The gadget slammed against a wall and fizzled out.

"You two are clearly out of ideas!"

"Not quite!" challenged Shego - in a flawless impression of Mulan's voice. She was only doing it to irritate Galyn Khaan. He had the fire sword, but he wouldn't dare use it in a cabin.

"If you mention that phony soldier one more time, you will suffer."

Shego thought twice. Yes, it was fun to annoy the guys. But she still valued her life.

"Our camping trip is over." Ron affirmed. Everyone was helping to take down the tent and pack.

"Good idea." said Mulan. "That nightmare was too much."

"Wait." said Kim. "You had a nightmare?"

Mulan shuddered. "Yes. And then somebody decided to wake me up - in the most unpleasant manner." She glared at Shang.

"Look," said Shang, "I was - uh - worried about you."

"Next time, tickle me or something."

"You don't like that, either."

"It's better than having ice water dumped on my head."

Kim interrupted. "Mulan, I think I know why you had the nightmare…"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

*Beep-beep-beep-beep*

Kim pulled the Kimmunicator out of her pocket. "Sitch, Wade?"

"Not good, Kim." said Wade. "Another portal was detected a few days ago."

"That's old news." Kim interrupted. "If you're looking for a hot guy named Li Shang…"

Kim stopped, and hit herself. "Did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did, as a matter of fact." Mulan looked - and sounded - jealous.

Shang put a strong arm around Mulan. "I'll never leave you. Not for Kim, not for anyone." he soothed. Mulan was still giving Kim the evil eye.

"Besides the portal," said Wade, "I have a surprise for Mulan."

Mulan's expression changed from jealous to intrigued.

"Monique, come on in." said Wade.

Monique walked in. Her thick curly hair was tied back in the customary low ponytail. Usually she wore a red mini dress and cute flats, but today she was wearing something different. The fitted silk blouse, dress pants and moderately high-heeled shoes screamed "creator" rather than "casual."

"Hi Kim! Hi Ron!" Monique greeted her two friends. "What's going on?"

"Besides portal accidents?" Ron grumbled. He usually wasn't the type to grumble. But when Kim clearly had something for another guy...

"Oh, Wade already told me about Mulan." Monique didn't notice. "I bet she's a real help on the team!"

"Hey, what about me?" Shang sounded uncharacteristically childish.

"Oh, hello." Monique went wide-eyed. "You must be Shang?"

"Yes." said Shang. "Can you make Kim leave me alone?"

Kim unwittingly did the puppy dog pout.

"Not the puppy dog pout…" Monique rolled her eyes. "Get it together, girl."

Kim snapped out of it. "Sorry, Monique."

"So what's the surprise?" asked Mulan.

Monique brandished a portfolio. "Well, I'm officially a designer for Club Banana." she announced.

"Yay!" Kim cheered.

"Boo-yah!" Ron and Rufus high-fived.

"And," added Monique, "they've given me permission to work on some personal projects."

She put a jump drive into one of Wade's image scanners. "Wade, will you do the honor of showing the designs? They're in a folder called Mission Concepts."

"Sure thing." Wade double clicked on the folder.

"You'll want to see these full screen." Monique sounded proud.

Wade went ahead and zoomed himself out, and clicked on a PowerPoint file in the folder.

"OK, Mulan." Monique began. "I know wearing Kim's old mission threads didn't work for you. But here's some concepts that might work. I designed the outfits."

"And I developed the technology." added Wade. "Just swipe your finger right to go forward in the slide show, and left to go back. Tap any part of the design for tech specs."

Mulan didn't seem interested by any of the designs.

On one of them, her boredom turned to frustration. "I thought we went over this! No frills, and definitely no pink!"

Kim tried not to laugh. The thought of anyone in a frilly pink mission outfit - especially Mulan - was almost funny.

Mulan quickly swiped past that girlish abomination.

Monique giggled nervously. "I was just kidding."

This was soon forgotten when the next design came up. "Ooh! I like this one!"

Shang peeked over Mulan's shoulder at the screen. On screen was a sleek, streamlined battlesuit.

Flexible black armor covered the tops of the shoulders and attached at the neck in a shallow V.

The torso and upper sleeves were a warm gray. Black flames accentuated the bosom, shooting sideways from each breast towards the center.

A reddish-gray belt secured the hip area, with two diamond-shaped plates of armor on each hip. The middle of the belt and center of the armor plates were made of flexible black armor.

The lower sleeves were garnet red, as were the legs of the suit.

The lower legs were adorned with black flames. Each flame started at a black band around the ankles, then curved around the calf muscle and flared up to the knee. The shoes were also garnet red, with flat soles the same reddish-gray as the belt.

"Oh, it gets better." chuckled Wade. "Tap the center of the chest."

Mulan did so, wondering what was in store. To her surprise, two wings - medieval dragon wings - unfolded from the back of the suit. They were dark gray with fiery-red veins streaking through them.

The design rotated to the back, showing the outstretched wings.

"They're dual purpose." said Wade. "You can either use them for gliding, or you can use them for rocket-propelled flight."

"Why does rocket-propelled flight sound like an invitation to my own funeral?" asked Mulan glumly.

"Not that kind of rocket." Wade explained. "See, there are rockets that explode on contact or in mid-air. You've had experience with those. But there are also rockets used for flight, and they don't explode."

"What kind of fuel does it use? Kim's father says that all rockets need solid or liquid fuel."

"Not these rockets." Wade boasted. "These are electric."

"But electricity needs a power source too, doesn't it?"

The suit turned transparent with an outline. A series of silvery dots appeared on various areas of the outline.

Wade explained. "The inside of the suit is lined with electrodes. These electrodes are placed above main nerve connections, and pick up your body's natural electrical signals. In other words, you're the power source!"

"I don't know how to feel about that…" Mulan's voice trailed off.

"It's safe." reassured Wade. "I can have the battlesuit there by tomorrow."

The next day, a package came to the Possible household. It was long, flat, and somewhat heavy.

"What is it?" Mulan examined the package. "Oh. It's addressed to Miss Kimberly Possible, that's you."

"Something tells me it's for you." pointed Kim. "Wade said he'd have the battlesuit at our place by tomorrow."

"Then why would he address it to KP?" Mushu butted in. "Wade still don't know the real hero around here."

"He didn't address it to you, either." Mulan reminded.

Mushu looked disappointed.

"Well, open it." prompted Kim.

Mulan opened it and gasped. She held up the contents - it was the battle suit!

There was something at the bottom too. A long black staff with a thick grip in the middle and a silver lightning design… what was it?

"It's a Lightning Rod." explained Jim and Tim. "Looks like a basic staff, but when you activate it…"

Mulan picked it up and pushed a button on the grip. Lightning crackled around the tips. "Oh, I like this." An ambitious grin spread across her face. She pushed the same button, and it turned off.

Kim looked a little surprised. "Is this your work, tweebs?"

"It was our idea," corrected Tim, "and we sent it to Wade."

"We thought it would work better than a rake." added Jim. "Besides, Wade figured…"

"One alone is not enough." sang Tim in a sour-pitched falsetto.

"You need both together!" sang Jim, mimicking Tim's tone.

"Stop it!" snapped Mulan.

But the tweebs continued: "Winter, summer, moon and sun…"

"What was the last line?" they asked each other. "Oh right!" They sang again: "Lesson Number One!"

Mulan was starting to lose her patience. "When I say stop it…"

The tweebs didn't listen, and kept singing: "Like a rock, hah-hah, you must be hard…"

That was when Mulan activated the Lightning Rod. She did a sweeping strike and smacked both of them in the back of the legs.

For about a minute, they were stunned. Then they glared up at Mulan.

"Learned that one from one of my training buddies." said Mulan casually. "Admittedly, he used it on me once, but it wasn't worth holding a grudge over."

Kim didn't want this getting any worse. "Mulan, why don't you try on the battlesuit?"

"Good idea." Mulan shot one more nasty look at the tweebs as she deactivated the Lightning Rod. Then she picked up the battlesuit and went into the bathroom for privacy.

Shang walked by Kim and stopped. "Have you seen Mulan?"

"She's trying on her battlesuit."

"Oh. And what happened to those pesky twins?"

Jim struggled to stand. His legs were still convulsing from the electricity. Tim managed to get up, and helped Jim to the couch for recovery.

"I struck them with my Lightning Rod." Mulan had since come out of the bathroom. "It's a staff with electrical charge."

Shang's jaw dropped. Mulan looked beautiful - in the deadliest way ever.

"You'll kick serious butt and look hot while you're at it." He was trying to be smooth, but failed. As usual.

Kim shook her head. "Shang, that's your job." She turned red when she realized what she had said.

Mulan tried to deter any other comments . "I know that Shang is a capable fighter and very handsome. But he's also more awkward than your boyfriend Ron…"

Shang finished the sentence: "...who probably isn't happy that you have a crush on me!"

Kim vehemently denied this. After an awkward silence, she muttered, "OK, maybe I have a little crush…"

"I'm going to test the wings outside." said Mulan. "As for you, Kim, keep your little crush to yourself."

Once outside, Mulan tried to remember the instructions to activate the wings.

"Flight mode, activate!" she commanded. The wings unfolded from the back of the battlesuit.

Shang turned to Mulan. "You've got to stop bringing up the awkwardness."

Mulan smirked. "Do you still think I fight good?"

Shang paused before answering. "Admittedly, you fight well."

"About time you used the right word." teased Mulan.

Small rockets began to whir. Mulan bent her knees and jumped. On the way up, she curled and executed a front flip, ending in a horizontal position.

Now she was 45 feet off the ground. She contracted backwards, then sprang forward. "I'm flying!"

"That's great! But keep your eyes open!" Shang warned from the ground.

Mulan didn't listen. She was too busy practicing maneuvers. Rolling, turning, diving, going up again…

Dr. Possible walked outside with a mug of coffee. The rocketry lab was closed for a few hours. He figured there was enough time to enjoy coffee on the porch.

Kim had followed him. "Hey Dad, you might want to be careful with your coffee."

"Don't worry, Kimmy-cub. Nothing's going to happen."

Famous last words.

"Let's see how well I can fly low-altitude." thought Mulan. She deactivated the rockets and went into glider mode. Then she dove to approximately ten feet off the ground, leveled out, and reactivated the rockets.

Dr. Possible was about to take a sip of the coffee. But this was thwarted when an overconfident Mulan zoomed past the porch. This startled Dr. Possible, causing him to dump the coffee on his white lab coat.

Upon realizing what she had done, Mulan went up again. She couldn't get in trouble if she was in the air.

"Mulan!" shouted Kim. "Get down here, NOW!"

"Flight mode, quit!" commanded Mulan. The rockets stopped. Mulan glided gracefully downward, executed another front flip, and landed on her feet. The wings folded back in.

"Smooth flying." said Dr. Possible sarcastically.

"Huh?" Mulan tried to express confusion, but unintentionally sounded cute.

She heard the tweebs, singing again: "That's what I said! A girl worth fighting for!"

"Shut up!" snapped Mulan. "I have enough songs stuck in my head already!"

"Boys," scolded Dr. Possible, "if you continue to annoy our guests, there will be consequences."

"If they get out of hand again, they're in for it." added Shang.

Dr. Possible gave Shang a "you-better-stay-out-of-this" look.

"Anyone want to go on a tandem flight?" offered Mulan.

Nobody volunteered.

"Fine, I'll pick." said Mulan. After a pause, she gave Shang the starry-eyes. Shang knew that meant he was flying with his lover… and he wasn't so sure about it.

"Why do you need to practice tandem flight?" asked Shang.

"In case someone falls and I need to rescue them. Or, if a team member needs to get somewhere faster, I can take them with me."

"Let's practice the latter." suggested Shang. "There's nowhere I could fall from."

They held hands and walked to an open area.

Mulan gave Shang a little kiss on the forehead. "Hang on tight, sweetie."

Shang smiled uneasily. "I would never do otherwise."

Mulan stifled a laugh. "All right, here we go… Flight mode, activate!"

The wings unfurled again, and the rockets kicked into gear. Mulan leaned forward and jumped. On the way up, she grabbed Shang by the middle of his back. They were sky-high together.

Shang wasn't pleased by the lifting technique. "A little gentler next time."

"Lighten up." said Mulan. "Your mood is too heavy for flight."

"Oh, stop it… Watch out for the house!"

Mulan aimed up and flew well over the roof. "Come on, I wasn't even that close."

"I was warning you before we got too… Tree on your left!"

Mulan did a perfect right turn and started flying low.

"OK, now you're just… Fence on your right!"

Mulan turned left and up. "Stop playing backseat pilot!"

"Mulan, do you ever…"

"I said stop it! You're distracting me!"

Just then, a gust whipped through the air. Mulan tried to stabilize herself. She managed. But in the process, she had accidentally let go of Shang.

"I'm coming!" Mulan swooped down and caught Shang. She began to apologize.

Shang warned again: "Tree ahead!"

But his warning came too late.

"Flight mode, quit!" The wings folded back in… seconds before the two crashed in a tree.

"I told you so…" groaned Shang. His collar was caught on a branch. Mulan took out her short sword. With one swift strike, she severed the branch.

Shang fell and ended up straddling a thicker branch. He exhaled sharply, trying to conceal a not-so-nice phrase.

Mulan cringed - that had to hurt. She picked Shang up off of the branch and cradled him. "Are you all right?"

"No…" Shang groaned.

As the two tried to devise a plan - how to safely get down - they heard a variant of the old playground taunt.

"Shang and Mulan stuck up in a tree, shouting H-E-L-P M-E!"

It was the tweebs.

"Shut up!" shouted the couple.

But the tweebs continued: "First they were flying, now they're in a mess! Someone needs to rescue the damsel in distress!"

Mulan wasn't going to tolerate that. Damsel in distress - those words were nothing short of an insult! She descended from the tree and landed in a low, stable crouch. Shang was quick to follow. When they stood up, they saw Kim trying to restrain her brothers.

"Do you tweebs ever learn?" Kim snarled.

"If they did, they'd stop singing." Mulan grumbled.

Shortly after the flying incident, Ron arrived. "Shang! I found your dagger!"

"You did?" Shang didn't look so annoyed anymore.

"See? I told you putting that label on it was a good idea!" boasted Ron.

"Where did you find it?" asked Kim.

Mushu clambered out of Kim's purse. "Found it? More like special delivery!"

"Mushu," Mulan chided, "we've been over this."

"Been over what?" Mushu played dumb.

"Don't hide in Kim's purse!"

Rufus hopped out of Ron's pocket and stuck out his tongue at Mushu: "Pbbbt!"

"Hey, I make barbecue from pests like you." threatened Mushu.

In response, Rufus bit Mushu on the nose.

"OW!"

"Stop it!" ordered Ron and Mulan to their respective animals.

Rufus backed off, but not before making a few teasing noises. Mushu glared back.

Mulan bent over and scooped Mushu up in her hands. "Even great and powerful dragons need to watch what they say to other animals. When in doubt, just remember what happened the last time you annoyed a horse."

Kim looked at the dagger. "Special delivery." Her eyes narrowed.

"Kim? What are you talking about?" Shang looked confused.

"Mushu said something about the dagger coming by special delivery…"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"You attached a tracking device to Li Shang's dagger, then your little birdie dropped it off near Kim Possible's dopey sidekick." Drakken thought aloud. "I don't see how that helps either of us, Galyn Khaan."

"It helps me because I'll know his whereabouts. If I can capture him, Mulan will come to his rescue. Then I'll have them both."

Drakken growled a string of incoherent syllables.

"Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable will be close behind." added Galyn Khaan.

"Uh, Dr. D?" Shego pointed.

"Shego…" grumbled Drakken. "What now?"

Shego pointed to a large digital map on a table. A group of four dots moved across the map. "I think they're on their way."

Galyn Khaan and Drakken paused. The two villains shared an evil grin.

One word came from Galyn Khaan's mouth…

"Perfect."

Kim, Ron, Mulan, and Shang snuck through the forest. As they neared where they had camped out, something seemed wrong. They couldn't place what.

Ron looked upwards in worry. "Have you ever had the feeling you're being watched?"

Kim paused. "Ron - you're onto something."

Just then, they all heard a distinctive screech. A falcon wheeled overhead.

"Did he see us?" asked Ron.

"We'll find out soon enough." answered Shang.

"Hmmm…" A plotting smirk crossed Mulan's face. "That gives me an idea."

The team leaned in.

"He can see from the air. I can too."

Kim looked worried. "Mulan, there are more trees here. So no stunt flying."

"Got it, Fa Maverick?" said Ron.

Mulan shot Ron a nasty glare. Earlier that week, Jim and Tim had given Mulan an unsolicited course in action movies. One of those movies was _Top Gun_. She had no desire to be associated with an obnoxious fighter pilot.

"Fa Mulan to you." snapped Mulan. "And any other name will earn you a smack from my Lightning Rod."

"Please be careful." pleaded Shang. He wrapped his arms around Mulan, and gave her a little kiss on the forehead for good luck.

"Flight mode, activate!" Mulan whispered.

The wings unfolded… the small rockets began to power up… and before anyone could get in another word of caution, Mulan was airborne yet again.

Drakken strutted out of the cabin. "Follow me, bae, I'll show you where it's at."

Shego rolled her eyes - was her incompetent boss trying to be hip again? Drakken saw the disapproving look on Shego's face, and decided to save the slang for later.

"This plan is working perfectly!" Drakken boasted.

Shego looked skyward. "Uh, Dr. D, there's a snag..."

Drakken scoffed. "In my brilliant plan? That can't happen."

"It's happening, all right." said Shego. Drakken almost said something else, but Shego pointed up. "If there's not a snag, then what is THAT?"

"That would be me!" yelled an assertive female voice. "Now tell me, where is Galyn Khaan?!"

The villains looked up.

"Mulan." growled Drakken. "Should have guessed."

No sooner had Drakken said this than Mulan flew downward. Shego activated her fighting gloves and tried to strike Mulan - miss.

Mulan ascended again, catching a thermal to speed up her climb.

Drakken started to get desperate. "Shego, you've handled her before!"

"But she wasn't flying then!" retorted Shego.

***  
Galyn Khaan came out of his encampment. "Where is she?" he demanded.

Drakken simply pointed upward. Galyn Khaan looked up. Realizing his nemesis was out of reach, he roared.

"Great, now what?" whispered Ron. "I mean, she can't stay in the air forever…"

"Wait one minute!" Shang pushed past Ron and marched towards the villains.

"Shang, don't go alone!" Kim called after Shang.

"We have to fight as a team!" added Ron.

Shang didn't listen to either of them. Instead, he went straight to Drakken. "Pointing is extremely rude!"

"And?" scoffed Drakken.

"And it's worse when you point at a lady! Don't you have any sense of dignity?"

Galyn Khaan turned around. When he saw Shang, his yellow eyes narrowed. "Ah, the great Captain himself. You couldn't fight my father… let's see if you can fight me!"

Drakken grabbed Shego's hand and pulled her away. He didn't want to get in the middle of this one.

Shang had no interest in trash talk. He quickly unsheathed his dagger. Galyn Khaan drew his enormous sword. The jagged blade, once a dull pewter, began to change colors to a hot yellow-white. Mere moments after, flames erupted around the sword.

Mulan, still in the air, saw what was going on. Shang was constantly on the defensive, trying to stay one step - or one jump - ahead. His dagger stayed at the ready as he avoided every strike.

Galyn Khaan was swinging the sword around aggressively. Every time the sword moved, flames trailed behind it like a comet.

Just then, Mulan's left hand tingled. She was holding her Lightning Rod. "Let's see what this can really do."

She put the wings in glider mode, and found a cool air current to aid her descent. Then she activated her Lightning Rod, and dove towards the battle.

But then a strong wind started. Mulan lost control of her flight.

Meanwhile, Kim and Ron watched with horror from the sidelines. All that dodging was beginning to tire Shang out.

"I got an idea!" exclaimed Ron.

Kim grimaced. "Does it involve your powers?"

"You know it does, there's nothing the Ron can't handle!"

"Ron, so not a good..."

Kim didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. Ron leapt towards the scene. His typical overconfidence melted into a tranquil strength as he focused.

Everyone - and everything - stopped. Shang in the apex of a flying kick. Galyn Khaan in half-pivot, sword raised. Drakken and Shego in mid-run. Even the surroundings went still and silent.

Ron continued to focus. His brown irises turned a pure blue, enveloping the pupil and spreading out into the white. A blue-white aura began to surround his body, and a gleaming silver katana materialized in his hand.

The halt turned to a slowness as Ron's power increased. Then he reached capacity. At that very moment, the battle resumed at full intensity.

Aided by his powers and the Lotus Blade, Ron managed to give Shang some relief - at least physically.

Shang's curiosity was far from relieved. Since when did this scrawny Westerner know Tai Sing Pek Kwar? What was up with that aura and the blade that came out of nowhere? Most importantly…

"Heads up!"

Shang looked up and saw Mulan plummeting from the sky.

"Flight mode, quit!" yelled wings folded back in. Shang, hoping to become the rescuer instead of the one getting rescued, extended his arms and caught Mulan.

Normally it would have been an easy catch with no problems. Not this time. Somehow, Shang's arm took a blow from the Lightning Rod.

Now, Shang had been whacked with a staff multiple times. The worst was when Mulan was flailing around and accidentally hit Shang in the worst possible area.

But this was worse.

It felt like his nerves were on fire. The pain shot from his shoulder down to his hand and back again. His arm began to shake violently. And if his own problem wasn't bad enough, he dropped Mulan.

"So much for being the hero." taunted Galyn Khaan. "I think I'll take this one for a concubine." He picked up Mulan. Mulan immediately punched her enemy in the face.

"Oh, playing rough, are we?" Galyn Khaan still didn't let go. "I find that very alluring."

Mulan grabbed at Galyn Khaan's throat, and constantly tightened her grip. He had a moment of unconsciousness, which caused him to let go.

Just then, Kim showed up. "Drakken and Shego have retreated." she announced. "They're not in the woods anymore."

"Then where are they?" asked Mulan.

Kim sighed. "Wish we had a track on them."

"Mulan! Look out!" cried Shang.

Galyn Khaan swung his sword at Mulan. She nimbly avoided the strike, her braid whipping behind her. Then she smelled something burning.

"Hah!" laughed Galyn Khaan. "Let's see if he wants you now!" He ran away and disappeared into the bushes.

"Coward!" shouted Shang. "Come back and fight!"

"What did he mean by…" Mulan looked down and saw her braid on the ground. The rest came undone, revealing that her hair was just below her collarbones.

Shang pulled Mulan into a hug. "Mulan… I'm so sorry... and of course I still want you."

Ron, now out of his powers, tried to lighten the mood. "I like the new haircut. Do you go by Ping now?"

Mulan broke from the embrace, grabbed the Lighting Rod, and smacked Ron on the side.

"OW!" Ron shouted. "What was that for?"

"Remember what I told you before this started?"

Ron shook his head.

"If you called me by any other name besides Mulan, it would earn you a smack from my Lightning Rod."

"We need a new strategy." Drakken complained. "Mulan's got that battle suit. That makes her even harder to fight. If Kim decides to wear her own battle suit, and Ron uses his monkey powers…"

"Don't give up so easily." snarled Galyn Khaan. "They shouldn't be that difficult to defeat."

A smirk crossed Shego's face. "Well, I have an idea…"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Back at the Possible household, things had settled down a bit. Ron was there, sharing cookies with Rufus. Mushu was trying to get a cookie as well, but Rufus kept refusing to share. The animals began to squabble.

"Cut it out." scolded Ron.

Mushu gave Rufus a dirty look, and took a cookie of his own.

Just then, Kim and Mulan walked in.

"Hey guys." said Kim.

"What took you so long?" asked Shang.

"Never mind." Mulan shook her head.

Shang gestured for Mulan to sit next to him on the couch. Mulan collapsed into her sweetheart's lap.

Outside, Kim's uncle Slim was unpacking his truck. "OK, Joss. You behave yourself. And don't annoy your older cousin."

A short preteen girl with shoulder-length auburn hair and freckled cheeks nodded, as she lifted a heavy suitcase. Despite her size, she was strong and swift. Working on the ranch in Montana required top physical fitness.

Her name was Joss. At one point, Joss was an eager fan of Kim's mission work. After a while, she calmed down. Now that she had heard of the three newest members on the team, her love for adventure blazed high again.

"I've got this." said Joss confidently, as she picked up the suitcase and walked to the Possible's front doorstep.

Slim gave Joss one last hug. Then he got in his truck. He waved goodbye and drove off.

Joss rang the doorbell, her hopes sky-high. Kim answered it.

"Kim!" Joss threw her arms around her older cousin.

"Joss?" Kim was surprised. "What are you doing here?"

Kim saw the truck driving away. She added two and two, and got four: she was stuck with Joss for a while.

"I heard you have some legends on your team." said Joss.

At those words, Mushu dropped his cookie and jumped onto Kim's shoulder.

"Yeah! That's Mulan over there on the couch. And how cute, all cuddled up with Pretty Boy."

"Captain Li Shang to you!" snapped Shang.

"Whatever." said Mushu casually. He hopped down to the table. "And the real legend is speaking to you right now! I'm the great and powerful Mushu!"

Joss looked impressed. Then she went over to the couch. "Hi, Mulan!"

Mulan drowsily rolled over at the sound of her name.

"Who are you?" she yawned.

"The name's Joss! I'm Kim's cousin." Joss put an arm around Kim. "We're pals, right Kim?"

"Right." Kim tried not to sound too nervous. Joss could be a real handful. Maybe this time, things would be different…

One sunny day, there was nothing to do. Joss had an idea: the Tri-City Zoo.

"Yeah!" said Jim.

"I hear there's a great new monkey exhibit!" added Tim.

Mulan's left hand clenched into a fist; she glared fiercely at the tweebs. She knew Ron didn't like monkeys. If those foolish boys continued...

Joss looked nervously at Mulan. Having lived on a ranch all her life, Joss had never witnessed authentic martial arts up close and personal. Kim's brothers were easy targets. Or maybe Mulan had a strong enough sense of honor… preventing her from picking on someone much smaller...

Kim defused the situation. "There's something else going on." She went on to explain. This year was the Tri-City Zoo's 30th Anniversary. Every week of the summer was dedicated to the conservation of different animals. This week was Big Cat Week.

"Today is Day of the Tiger." continued Kim.

"That's perfect!" Shang suddenly cheered up.

"You mean purr-fect?" quipped Mushu.

Everyone groaned at Mushu's lame pun.

"I didn't know you liked tigers." Joss sounded a little surprised.

"That's because a Tiger is my zodiac animal." explained Shang.

With that, they left for the zoo.

The zoo was packed with visitors. Getting to the ticket booth seemed to take hours.

"How long have we been waiting?" complained Ron.

"Patience, Ron." groaned Mulan. She was sick of Ron's impatient questioning.

"Only three families ahead of us, then it's our turn." added Shang.

The three families went through soon enough.

"How many of you?" asked the ticket salesman.

Kim answered, "Five."

"May I see a photo ID? New policy."

Kim took out her driver's license.

"Kimberly Ann Possible." He looked at the license, then at Kim. "Glad you're here, Kim. That time you rescued our red panda was a real feat."

"No big." Kim brushed it off.

"Was it panda-monium?" Mushu joked from inside Mulan's day pack.

"Shut up!" hissed Mulan.

The ticket salesman paid no attention. "The zoo would like to thank you by giving you free tickets."

"That's very generous of you, sir." Shang said with a small smile.

"The tiger talk will begin in thirty minutes." said the ticket salesman.

Shang's smile grew into an excited, almost childlike, grin. He grabbed Mulan's hand. The two laughed and went well ahead of the other three in the group.

Kim, Ron, and Joss caught up to the happy couple soon enough.

"No running ahead." said Kim. "You could have gotten lost - or worse!"

"What's worse than getting lost?" asked Shang.

"I have the tickets." reminded Kim. "Sometimes security stops people to check for tickets…"

Ron finished: "...and if you don't have tickets, you get carted off."

Kim handed each person their respective tickets. Then she checked her watch.

"Come on, guys. The tiger talk starts in ten."

Shang got that expression on his face again. Mulan reminded him that the group had to stay together.

The tiger exhibit was hectic. Little kids were getting their faces painted with tiger stripes. Preteens were trying their luck at carnival-style games. Teenagers tried to stay a safe distance away from their families while taking selfies.

"Where's Ron?" asked Kim.

"Grrr!" A claw-hand strike whipped out from behind Kim. Kim whirled around and saw Ron - with tiger stripes painted on his face.

"Ron…" Kim drew out her boyfriend's name in embarrassment. "Face paint is so immature."

Kim sighed and turned around again. A female zookeeper recognized Kim. She gestured to the front row. The five went to the front row.

Mushu peeked out from Mulan's day pack. "Yeah! We got VIP seating!"

"Get back in there!" In one swift motion, Mulan stuffed Mushu back down and closed her pack. "If security sees you, they'll think I'm smuggling exotic animals."

"Welcome to Tri-City Zoo!" announced a male zookeeper. "My name is Cameron, and I'm the resident tiger expert. Today you will meet our new Chinese Tiger. On behalf of everyone at Tri-City Zoo, I am proud to introduce… Ming-Na!"

Cameron carefully tugged on a lead rope. A tiger cub came out from behind a stool. This was Ming-Na.

Ming-Na was no bigger than an average kitten, but appeared much stronger. Her fur was creamy white on the underside, with glossy orange-and-black stripes on the rest of her body. Golden eyes flashed as she surveyed the audience.

Cameron continued. "Ming-Na is the third tiger in our Species Survival Program. When she is old enough, the zoo will take steps to transition Ming-Na into the wild. Then she will travel to a wildlife preserve in China, where she will find her new home."

Everyone cheered.

Ming-Na looked surprised. These humans were so noisy. She searched the audience with her keen eyesight, trying to find a quiet person. One person was quiet. He looked strong and cuddly. Oh, he was smiling at her too!

With that, Ming-Na started fighting against the lead rope.

Shang wasn't paying much attention. Then he heard Cameron scolding Ming-Na.

"No." said Cameron firmly. "Stay put, Ming-Na."

Ming-Na gave one last mighty heave. The lead rope broke. She bounded into the front row and stopped at Shang's feet. The crowd quickly moved back.

"Hey, go back to Cameron." chided Shang. Ming-Na didn't listen. She paced around Shang, purring and nuzzling against his legs.

"She likes you!" teased Joss.

"Oh, hush." Shang tried to turn away.

Ming-Na wasn't going to lose her new friend so soon. She sprang up to shoulder-height, almost perfectly vertical.

"Shang, look out!" warned Mulan.

Shang pivoted around - just in time for Ming-Na to land in his arms. The sudden weight caught Shang off guard. He bent his knees to absorb the weight and stood up again.

"Oh, terrific." muttered Shang. He looked over at Cameron, pleading without words.

Cameron took the hint. He came to Shang and tried to take Ming-Na from those strong cuddly arms. No luck. Ming-Na snarled and swiped a fuzzy paw at Cameron. Under that softness were sharp little claws.

Kim noticed the considerable scratches on Cameron's face. She pulled a first aid kit out of her pack and rushed over to him. Ron and Joss followed, so they could assist.

"Kim…" Shang sounded exasperated. Kim glanced back and made it clear she was occupied.

"Mulan, why don't you do something?" Shang complained. "You're good with animals!"

Mulan shook her head. "Hate to break it to you, but the Fa family doesn't keep tigers."

Shang grumbled. Ming-Na must have thought her new friend was purring happily, and snuggled into his chest. How embarrassing!

Another zookeeper arrived. "I'm Sierra." she said. Sierra explained that she worked with tigers as well. She reached into her pocket and held out some kitty treats.

"Come here, Ming-Na." Sierra was using baby talk. "Treats."

Ming-Na didn't care about the treats. She kept snuggling.

"Treats." repeated Sierra.

Ming-Na finally looked at Sierra. She could smell the treats and looked excited.

"Ming-Na, down." Sierra said. She whispered to Shang, "You can let go."

Shang gradually loosened his hold, but Ming-Na clung on tighter. The little cub had no intentions of letting go!

Just then, Shang got an idea. He scratched Ming-Na behind the ears and stroked her neck. Finally, the cub fell asleep. After a hand-off to Sierra, who promptly carried Ming-Na back to the stage, Shang was relieved beyond measure.

The relief didn't last long. Shortly after the hand-off, the crowd collectively reacted...

"Aww!"

After the incident, the five went as far away from the tiger area as they possibly could. They all sat on benches by the walkway.

"Do you still like tigers?" asked Joss.

"Yes… so long as they don't cuddle up." Shang continued: "I am not a cuddly person."

Mulan got starry-eyed. "You are too a cuddly person." she corrected sweetly. "Very cuddly."

"Not now, Mulan." Shang reminded.

Mulan didn't listen. She rested her head on Shang's left shoulder and started nuzzling.

"Why are you doing this and why now?" Shang sounded even more embarrassed.

"In case that happens again," Mulan said between nuzzles, "at least you'll know how to react."

Shang began to make a suggestion. "Let's…"

"Get down to business, to defeat the Huns." sang Mushu, emerging fully from Mulan's day pack.

Ron tried to continue the song. Unfortunately, he was horribly off. "Did they send me daughters, when I asked for… OW!"

Shang had delivered a hard elbow-strike to Ron's side. "Stop it! I thought those three goofballs couldn't sing to save their lives. But you're ten times worse!"

He calmed down. "I was trying to say, 'let's get out of here,' but obviously you have to make a joke out of me."

"I thought we were trying to make a man out of you." teased Mushu.

Mulan pinched Mushu's tail. Mushu yelped from the pain and jumped - into the day pack. Again, Mulan closed the flap. Maybe this time it would stay closed.

"Come on guys." said Mulan. "I think the petting zoo would be fun."

"Yeah, they have a new Shetland pony." added Kim.

Mushu cracked yet another bad joke from inside the day pack. "No horseplay allowed."

"Mushu…" groaned Mulan.

"Sorry." said Mushu hastily.

Joss insisted on leading the way, but she kept getting distracted. Shang preferred things would go according to plan. All these diversions and sidetracks annoyed him to no end.

"First the ice cream stand, then the Australian Trail, and now a garden?" he complained.

"The petting zoo is right there." said Ron, pointing at a map.

"Good," muttered Shang, "because I've had enough getting lost for the whole week."

"Here we are!" Mulan sounded excited. She immediately went over to the pen with the baby goats. As the sign said to do, she stayed at the edge of the fence.

One of them trotted up to the edge of the fence immediately. He had stubby horns and silvery-gray fur, and long eyelashes over sky-blue eyes.

"Aww, look at you," she gushed, "you're so cute." The little animal bleated happily as Mulan petted his ears. He turned to his friends, as if to invite them over. They took the hint.

"Goodness, one at a time!" laughed Mulan. She continued petting them, and spoke softly in Chinese to calm them down. So far, it was working.

Kim and Ron were looking at the old donkey, Jenny May. Jenny May was one of the first animals in the petting zoo. She'd experienced a lot, so nothing could bother her.

Well, almost nothing…

Ron still hadn't washed off the tiger face paint. He went up to the edge of the pen to pet Jenny May.

Jenny May immediately thought Ron was a predator. Her first instinct was to flee, but she was in a closed area. Fighting was the only option left. She spun around and kicked backwards.

Ron jumped back from the kick. Jenny May wasn't so lucky - her hoof was stuck between the fence bars!

Shang decided to intervene. He walked behind Jenny May and tried to soothe her by speaking in a low, quiet voice and stroking her quarters. Jenny May got so nervous that she lost control of her bowels. Shang drew his hand back just in time, barely avoiding a handful of donkey manure.

Kim saw a female zookeeper was talking with Mulan about the goats. Kim recognized her as Maria. Maria was friends with Kim's biology teacher.

"Maria, we could use some help!" called Kim.

Maria and Mulan immediately turned their heads. "Mulan, wait here." said Maria. She rushed over to the scene.

Mulan followed Maria. Maria looked a little frustrated that Mulan didn't listen. Mulan protested; she lived on a farm and had to handle similar emergencies.

"Looks like we'll have to break part of this pen." sighed Maria.

"I can handle that." said Mulan confidently. She got in kicking stance. The others tried to warn her. But again, Mulan was undaunted.

"Whatever you do, don't yell!" warned Shang. Mulan looked back and nodded. She delivered a powerful roundhouse to the part where Jenny May was stuck. It broke easily. Maria entered the pen through the side gate, and coaxed Jenny May to put her newly-freed hoof down. The poor animal was still trembling, but at least she was back on fours.

"Thank you so much." Maria was beyond grateful. "Now we just have to fix it."

"Is there another donkey pen?" asked Ron.

Maria found a lead and attached it to Jenny May's halter. "Right here." said Maria, pointing to an empty pen.

She proceeded to explain why it was empty, trying not to cry. A few weeks ago, they lost a male donkey named Sidekick. Sidekick was Jenny's brother. But at the age of twenty - old for a donkey - he died.

Maria wiped a tear from her eye and led Jenny May into the pen. Jenny May looked at the enrichment toys that hadn't been used for a while, sniffed them, and recognized the scent.

"Wait." Kim whirled around.

"What's the matter?" asked Ron.

"Where's Joss?"

Joss was in the stables. She had been wandering for a bit, seeing if there were any animals she was used to. That was when she spotted a male Shetland Pony.

The pony was alone in the stall, kicking anxiously at the back stable door with short yet strong legs. He looked at Joss with pleading eyes and whinnied sadly. Joss knew exactly what the pony was trying to say: "Let me be free!"

"All right." Joss soothed in a low, calm voice - breakin' patter, as the ranchers called it. The pony stopped kicking when he heard that. "I'll let you out." Joss went into the stable, and opened the back door.

The pony couldn't wait! He charged past Joss and galloped outside, easily clearing the fence.

Joss vaulted the fence. She then chased the pony - no luck. The pony went racing down the paths until he got to the gate. It was too high for him to jump, so he turned around and went the other way.

Joss followed, only to lose track. She returned to the others.

"I need a rope!" Joss panted.

"What do you mean, you need a rope?" asked Shang impatiently.

"The pony got away!"

Maria, who had since finished in the donkey pen, shook her head. "Oh, terrific. Another escape artist." She then turned to Joss. "And no, Joss, we don't have any ropes."

Joss opened her mouth again to say something, but Maria interrupted. "The zoo isn't a ranch."

For the first time in a long time, Kim didn't know what to do! She was no expert on horses, let alone escaped ones. She looked around, hoping somebody in her group would help.

Ron was acting clueless as usual. Shang was thinking about what to do. Joss was hopeless with animals outside of the ranch. Mulan was their last hope.

"You wild west types go about this all wrong." Mulan took a deep breath, and let it out in a horse's call.

The pony turned around at the sound. He ran back. Upon seeing Joss, he almost panicked.

Mulan had expected this, and knew how to react. She squatted to the pony's level, and made reassuring horsey noises. Then she gradually switched to Chinese.

The pony realized that Mulan was a nice human, one who would understand. He nuzzled into his new friend's chest, moving his ears around to listen to the sweet tonality. Oh, now she was petting his neck and stroking his mane.

Calm at last. Everyone sighed in relief.

Joss had finally come to her senses. "I think he needs more space than the stable."

"Agreed." said Shang. He knew that some military horses didn't like small spaces, so they would graze in a separate part of the field.

"Does he have a name?" asked Kim and Ron at the same time.

"There's a Name the Pony contest," said Maria, "but nobody's entered."

Mulan finally nodded in affirmation. "His name is Shènglì." Confused looks all around. "That means victory."

Shang looked at Mulan in surprise. Mulan saw through it and smiled. "Yes, I sort of named him after you."

"We should probably get home." said Kim.

"Why?" asked everyone else at the same time.

"School starts in a week. We have to start preparing now."

Mulan and Shang looked at each other. "We?"

Ron grinned. "What, you expected to stay home and snuggle all day?"

Mulan smiled at Shang and rolled with the joke: "Looks like we'll have to change our plans, honey."

Mushu peeked his head out of Mulan's pack one last time. "Ron says the cafeteria food is terrible. You guys are gonna get served."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

"So this is Middleton High School." Mulan looked out the window of Kim's car. The building sported very interesting architecture. It was a blend of curves and angles, some parts taller than others.

A big welcome sign stood tall and proud, visible from far back on the road. The welcome sign changed messages on a frequent basis. Today it said: WELCOME BACK! Next to it was an American flag, standing out horizontally in the strong wind.

"Yes." said Kim. She tried not to think of what could possibly go wrong. "And try not to stand out too much." she added.

"Easy enough." Shang said casually.

Mulan gave him an encouraging smile and clasped Shang's hand. "We can handle this together, right honey?"

"Oh, of course."

That worried Kim even more. Occasional flirting, people expected that. But the constant cuddling wasn't going to work. Students would have a field day harassing the happy couple. Teachers wouldn't appreciate the mushiness either. Mr. Barkin would probably make an example of what happens when students can't keep to themselves.

Kim threw off the clouds of worry and realized the bright day ahead. Even if classes went downhill, after class would make up for it. Today was the first cheer practice! She couldn't wait to put on that new senior cheer uniform! There was a new routine to learn, tryouts coming up… it was going to be all right.

"OK, we're here." said Kim as she got out of the car. "Stay calm and don't do anything too daring."

"My little baby can handle high school. With my help, of course."

Everyone turned around at the distinctive voice. It was Mushu. He had stowed away in Mulan's backpack!

"You think I was gonna let her face this alone? I'm her guardian!"

"Mushu… I thought I told you to stay at the Possible household!" groaned Mulan.

"Ron carries his pet around." Mushu pointed.

Nobody could argue with that. Mulan simply told Mushu to stay in the backpack, and that she'd let him know if she needed protecting. Mushu reluctantly coiled himself up in the front pocket.

"OK, here's the plan." said Kim. "If anyone stops you, don't say anything. I'll say that you're from a gifted school in China and got a scholarship to study in America."

Shang looked uneasy. "But - but, that's blatant…"

Before he could say "dishonesty," Mulan shushed him. "If it weren't for some measure of dishonesty, we never would have met."

No sooner had Kim formulated her plan than Ron came strolling down the hall. He was whistling a tune and not paying much attention.

Just then, a locker door swung open; it smacked Ron in the face. He fell hard. Then the locker door shut with a metallic clatter, revealing who was behind it.

It was Jake, one of the basketball players. Jake was the typical athlete - physically fit and somewhat overconfident. He had long auburn hair that he frequently pulled into a low ponytail or man bun. The other basketball players made fun of him for it, so he made up for the teasing with an ego.

"Oops." he said sarcastically. "You know, a quarterback should always pay attention to where he's going."

Shang came to Ron's defense. "Listen, opening locker doors on people's faces isn't funny. That probably hurt!"

Kim helped Ron off the floor. She gave Shang a glare that translated to "you stay out of this!"

"Jake," said Kim firmly, "if Star saw that, what would she think?"

Those words made quite the impact on Jake. He apologized to Ron and left.

"Who's Star?" asked Mulan.

"One of Jake's closest friends." Ron explained.

Kim continued: "Her real name's Astaria, but Jake calls her Star because everyone made fun of her name."

Shang began to ask: "Are they…"

Mulan finished the question: "...together?"

Kim didn't want to spread any gossip. There were already rumors circulating about Jake and Star as a couple. "Let's just head to class. First one, Statistics."

"Where's Ms. DiCalcio?" wondered Ron. "Usually she's here really early."

"What do these markings mean?" asked Mulan. She was looking at the door.

"Can't you read by now?" asked Kim impatiently.

"I can read. But this isn't English or Chinese!"

Kim asked Mulan to move over. Sure enough, it wasn't in English or Chinese - it was in Greek!

"Where's that transfer student when we need him the most?" groaned Ron.

"Right here." said a familiar voice.

"Ajace!"

Ajace was a little shorter than Ron, with short dark brown hair and eyes that seemed to change color. Some days he wore glasses - this was one of those days.

"Yeah, sorry I'm…" Then he saw Mulan and Shang. "Kim, why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"That you had Mulan and Shang on your team! This is awesome!"

"Terrific, another fan." muttered Shang. "Do you have a crush on me like Kim does?"

Ajace burst out laughing. "I'm already in a relationship, Captain Attractive."

Shang's face turned redder than a lucky envelope at Lunar New Year. "Hey! I'll only allow two people to call me that! Mulan and Fa Nainai - that's it."

Fa Nainai was Mulan's grandmother. She had a habit of calling Shang by his title… but then adding a fitting adjective instead of his name.

"Anyway," said Kim, drawing out the word, "someone left a note on the door. And none of us can read it."

"I probably can." said Ajace. He had a talent for languages, knowing at least 10 (although he may have learned more) and fluent in over half of them.

Ajace translated. "Ms. DiCalcio will be out for the first two weeks of school. Statistics will be held in the same room. The substitute is Mr. Johnson."

Mulan set her backpack down and began to think. "It's strange." she mused aloud. "The door is locked. It's not like there's anything worth stealing."

"Even if there was anything worth stealing, why would we take it?" added Shang.

Ron noticed that Mulan wasn't watching her backpack. Mulan was trying to put her hair up in a bun - not easy after Galyn Khaan slashed it short with the fire sword. She relied on pins and hair sticks to keep a bun in place.

Meanwhile, Ron rummaged through the backpack for a lockpick. No luck - but there was a long, pointed hair stick. It was enameled wood, with rose quartz beads dangling off the end. He inserted the pointed end into the door's lock.

The doorknob clicked and rattled, but didn't open. Mulan turned around just in time to see Ron struggling to remove the hair stick from the lock. The enamel cracked open and the wood beneath it broke.

"Ron!" Shang couldn't believe what a klutz the other young man could be sometimes.

"What?"

"Nainai gave that to me when I was ten." Mulan sulked.

Ron tried to get out of it. He knew that Mulan had something against pink. "But it's pink."

"I don't care what color it is…"

"Wait." said Kim, whose attention was on the note. "There's a post script here… in Japanese!"

Ron gestured for Kim to move over. "Step aside, KP. I've got the power."

"What power?" scoffed Shang.

Ron focused on the post script. "Mr. Johnson has a family emergency. The substitute will be Mr. Dimetri Tsatsarones."

Ajace groaned in exasperation. "Terrific."

"What?" asked Mulan, not making the connection.

"That's my…"

Before he could finish, a man came up behind the group. He was dressed in a sharp suit and had a goatee. Nothing surprising about that - except that he had a good number of Ajace's features.

Shang looked at the man, then at Ajace, then back again. "Uh… why is there an older clone of you walking around?"

"This is my uncle, Captain Oblivious." Ajace then turned to his uncle, who looked at the new students with some amount of suspicion.

Shang muttered under his breath, "I preferred Captain Attractive."

Mulan overheard this and giggled. "Captain Attractive it is, sweetie."

"Oh, is he your future husband?" Dimetri asked.

The lovers exchanged glances, not sure if this substitute teacher should know the truth.

"No, they're just courting." said Ron, hoping that Dimetri wouldn't try to argue semantics.

They walked into the classroom. After that first encounter, they hoped excessive trouble wouldn't follow them.

"Boy, am I glad that class is over." muttered Mulan as she walked out of the classroom.

They noticed Ajace walking out of the library, looking like he was in pain. Kim looked at him with concern. "Light-induced headaches." Ajace explained briefly. He left them.

Mulan turned to Kim. "Are all the teachers that rude?"

"No… just some of them. Ms. Lockhart is a lot better." Kim explained that Ms. Lockhart used to work in a medical lab before becoming a biology teacher.

"But we have an hour." said Kim. "Come on, you still need to learn about libraries."

When they walked in the library, the lights randomly flickered out.

"Something's… weird." said Ron. He pointed to the floor.

There were two heart-shaped pendants on braided silk cord. They sparkled and glowed with an aura of pure magic.

One was made of dark green jade on a silver cord. It had the Chinese character for "Magnolia" carved in.

The other was polished amethyst on a gold cord. It had the character for "Royal

Forest" carved in.

Ron recognized these necklaces as having some kind of power. An old legend he had heard at the ninja school told of two amulets that would appear at a time of distress. Only two Destined Warriors could wear them, and it would give them greater power than anyone could imagine.

He looked at Shang, who was equally mystified.

"Why don't you try them on?" suggested Shang.

Kim and Mulan looked at each other and agreed. As if awarding each other medals, they put the necklaces over each other's heads. Kim gave Mulan the jade one, and Mulan gave Kim the amethyst one. In perfect sync.

A blinding light flashed around the two. Then it went away. They looked at each other.

"What was that?" they asked at the same time.

Ron and Shang said nothing. Their expressions spoke for them: the lover's surprised stare.

"Now look who's staring." teased Mulan, folding her arms. She glanced in a display case and saw that both she and Kim looked - well, different.

Kim's overall build looked more athletic, while retaining her slender physique. Her hair shone like the finest silk and any flyaways were tamed. Even her eyes had changed, taking on the appearance of sparkling emeralds.

Mulan realized her bun had come loose, and felt something silky caressing her back, waist, and hips. She turned around and noticed that her hair had somehow regained its full length.

Despite being in a library, Mulan cheered. This earned her a nasty look from the librarian.

"Oops…" Mulan apologized, but proceeded to dig herself into a hole. "Sorry, you know how it is when you get a bad haircut, but then the length comes -"

"None of your excuses!" Kim grabbed Mulan by the hand and pulled her out of the library. Ron and Shang followed.

The lights flickered back on.

"There's something about those necklaces." concluded Ron.

Nobody saw Ajace. He was looking onward from behind a locker door.

"You're welcome." whispered Ajace. Then he went to his class.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

The day continued with some amount of normalcy. Mulan and Shang didn't attract too much attention. Mission Blend, as Ron called it, was close to accomplishment. But like any mission, this one had a few snags.

Kim had to convince the lovebirds about keeping their hands to themselves. More than once. One teacher almost noticed, but didn't think twice about it.

In the cafeteria, someone gave Mulan a hard time about being too skinny. For reasons that Kim couldn't figure out, Mulan took "too skinny" as an insult. Luckily, this kid faced some form of retribution. He tripped on a discarded tray and fell all too dramatically, garnering laughter from the other students.

Then right before cheer practice, Ron bragged to Jake that Shang would do well on the basketball team. "He's swift as the coursing river and all that stuff."

Jake smiled. Star would have caught that reference immediately. At the thought of his girlfriend, his smile disappeared. Star had been weaker than usual towards summer's end, and now she missed the first day of school. Like any good boyfriend, he worried about her.

He pushed those thoughts aside and muttered something about "Asians can't play basketball." Then he left.

Shang overheard this and grumbled. He had watched some basketball games on TV. It couldn't have been that hard!

"Come on, practice starts at 3." prompted Kim. "Ron, the cheerleaders apologized after the last game. They said you could watch."

"But… but what about…" Ron glanced back where Mulan and Shang had been standing. They were gone!

Rufus hopped out of Ron's pocket and sniffed the ground. Drips of a floral perfume made a trail towards the ladies' locker room. Rufus stayed ahead, while Kim and Ron followed the track. Sure enough.

Kim whipped out the Kimmunicator and performed a chemical analysis of one of the drips. It was pure magnolia oil.

"Mulan." muttered Kim. She entered the locker room, hoping that nothing had happened.

Meanwhile, Mulan was in a changing area, slipping out of her school clothes. She had brought a purple-yellow-and-white track suit with her. After putting that on, she stepped out and looked in a mirror. Now she looked like a true athlete of Middleton High. Her long hair, pulled into an impeccable rope braid, was now glossy and fragrant from the magnolia oil.

"Now that's better." she said.

Kim had finished changing into the senior cheer uniform. It was a silky fabric with an ultra-dazzling finish. Not to mention the new color palette - purple, yellow, and white, with scarlet stitching. This was way better than the old uniforms.

"Mulan, what are you doing here?!"

"I was going to watch practice. It sounds interesting and I might get ideas for my own workouts."

Kim sighed in resignation. "Fine. But remember…"

"Don't stand out."

"Good."

After leaving the locker room for the football field, Kim showed Mulan a good observation spot on the bleachers. Mid-way up, somewhere toward the center.

Shang was already there, his eyes wandering about the football field. Whenever his gaze would go downwards, the cheerleaders would giggle.

"Oh, he is so hot." gushed Crystal.

"You don't even know him." Jessica flipped her voluminous blonde hair, hoping to get Shang's attention.

"Uh… looks like he's taken." noted Hope, gesturing to Mulan.

Jessica and Crystal both looked embarrassed.

Paying no attention to the not-so-subtle flirting, Mulan sat down near Shang. "Hey, sweetie." she whispered.

Shang looked over and noticed Mulan's athletic attire. He tried to pay a compliment. "You look like you're ready to win a beauty contest. Uh, I mean, ready to win a championship… Oh, who am I fooling, you'd win both!"

After blurting that out, Shang blushed bright red.

Mulan smiled at Shang's compliment. There was something appealing about his awkwardness.

"Why, thank you." She tried to hide her amusement. "But really, I'm just trying to get some workout ideas. Mostly flexibility and cardio."

Shang nodded. He often worried that someday Mulan wouldn't find this cute anymore. But a reassuring kiss on the cheek told him otherwise.

Kim glanced up at Mulan and Shang. So far, so good. They were too occupied with - well, each other - to do anything that would make them stand out.

Ron pressed the button on the stereo. The intro to "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon faded in. Perfectly on the rhythm, the cheerleaders jumped to their places and began their routine.

Right as Kim reached her full focus, her pendant began glowing.

Mulan hadn't been fully aware of what was going on. The cheerleaders just seemed to be dancing in a pattern. No workout ideas here.

But the moment that the pendant's magic kicked in, the routine started making sense. Perfect sense. The music was captivating her. Deep down, she wanted to be part of the routine just as much as Kim did.

Mushu peeked his head out of Mulan's backpack. He sensed the energy. "Mulan," he whispered, "you can join them."

Snapping out of her trance for a moment, Mulan looked at Mushu like he was nuts. Then again, what else was new?

"C'mon, girl, the pendant helps!" insisted Mushu. "You can follow their moves and still put your own spin on it!"

Surprisingly, Mulan couldn't argue with that. She didn't know what Mushu meant by "the pendant helps" - well, maybe she did. It didn't matter though. Time for some real fitness!

Mulan figured out the routine as she leapt down the bleachers. When she reached the ground, she was able to match the motions flawlessly. It looked like she had practiced this particular routine for weeks.

At the song's end, everyone cheered: "Go! Mad! Dogs! Yeah!"

Well, almost everyone...

Mulan had stopped at the same time the other cheerleaders did. But when they made the final cheer, Mulan shouted: "Go! Mad! Dogs! HYAH!"

Everyone turned around at the martial arts yell. That was so out of place! When they saw Mulan, they immediately placed the blame - in their minds at least.

Mulan stood there. She looked proud of herself for successfully completing the routine. Then she saw Kim, who wasn't looking so proud.

"Kim, does that count as standing out too much?"

Kim just groaned and put her face in her hands. Of course that was standing out too much! The plan was to stay on the bleachers and watch. Not to join the routine. Not to draw attention with a loud HYAH at the end.

Then again, Kim didn't actually say "no" to any of this. Although that wouldn't be particularly effective either...

As the cheerleaders were sitting on the bleachers for a rest, Bonnie began to throw some mean remarks towards Mulan.

"Could you possibly break any more rules?" she snapped. "You can't join the squad."

"I can too join the squad." retorted Mulan.

"You have to try out first!"

"OK, when are tryouts?"

"Forget it," spat Bonnie, "nobody wants a fighter on the cheer squad."

"One, thank you for calling me a fighter and not a princess. Two…"

Kim pulled Mulan away by the arm. "Mulan, we've been over this. Starting drama with Bonnie is so not a good idea."

Mushu peeked his head out of Mulan's pack. Shang was looking angrier by the minute - and it was soon obvious why.

"I already don't like her." muttered Shang to nobody in particular. "She reminds me of a female version of Chi Fu."

So far, Mulan wasn't making any suggestions along the lines of "I'll hold him and you punch." Mushu took that as his cue.

Mushu snuck down the bleachers, feeling the fire building up in his throat. Soon it was too much for the travel-size dragon to contain. He coughed. A flame landed on a stubbed cigarette under Bonnie's spot. Bonnie didn't notice anything at first… until she smelled burning fabric.

Bonnie sprang to her feet. Her cheer skirt was on fire! She screamed and jumped around the field in a complete panic. One wrong landing, and she'd sprain an ankle - or worse.

All the other cheerleaders gasped in horror. The football field didn't have a fire extinguisher. Bonnie obviously forgot the old trick of stop-drop-and-roll.

Mulan gaped, unsure of what to do. A fan certainly wouldn't help. There was no liquid to douse the flames.

Just as the fire was starting to reach skin, Bonnie landed on her right foot at a bad angle. She fell, twisting in an attempt to protect her body from further injury. Ron had left a spare bucket of his Mad Dog Foam on the field - big enough to sit in. Or, as Bonnie quickly found out, big enough to land in.

Smoke hissed from the bucket as the cold, viscous liquid extinguished the fire. Bonnie got out; she landed on her foot the wrong way again. She managed to stabilize herself.

"Ew!" Bonnie tried to wipe the stuff off.

"Uh, Bonnie?" Tara looked worried.

"What?!" Bonnie wasn't in the mood.

"There's no nice way to put this," Tara said quietly, "but… your skirt has a hole in it."

Bonnie sulked and limped off the field.

"Is there a replacement?" asked Marcella.

"Me? Replaced?" Bonnie turned her head at what she considered an insult. "You can make me sit out, but you can't replace me!" She left in a huff.

Everyone looked at Mulan again.

"Oh terrific, you want me to replace Bonnie?" Mulan couldn't believe it.

Liz shrugged. "She'll be back after a few practices."

Mulan looked relieved. That soon disappeared at the next piece of news. The athletic director recently decided they needed a twirler.

Kim explained to Mulan that twirlers had a fairly easy role. All twirlers did was perform tricks with a baton.

"What's a baton?"

"It's like a short fighting staff."

Mulan got a determined expression on her face. "That does sound easy." She went back up to her spot on the bleachers.

"You cheer good." whispered Shang, patting Mulan on the shoulder. "And you'll be a great twirler!"

"You mean, you cheer well. Not you cheer good."

Shang looked embarrassed. Mulan had corrected him yet again.

Shortly after the incident in cheer practice, Kim changed out of her cheer uniform and back into her everyday clothes. Mulan stayed in her track suit. It was comfortable. "Besides," she added, "who knows what we might run into on the way back?"

Kim and Ron couldn't argue with that last bit. It was going well until...

"My little baby's gonna be a twirler! With that sparkle staff, Mulan can whoop that mean girl's -"

"Mushu, so not the right time." Mulan scolded. Then she slapped her forehead and turned to Kim. "Darn your catchy way of talking, Kim! Now you've got me doing it!"

Rufus peeked out of Ron's pocket and chattered rudely at Mushu. While the humans had no idea what was going on, Mushu was fluent in more than one animal language.

"Me? A show-off?" Mushu recoiled, then toughened up again. "That's not rare. I make sure my roasts are well done!"

Rufus took this pun as a valid threat. He burrowed back into Ron's pocket - but not before sticking his tongue out at the loudmouthed dragon.

They all got in Kim's car. Ron had walked to school. Now he didn't feel like walking back. Kim was more than happy to give him a ride home.

Mulan gave Mushu a scolding poke on the back. "Stay in my backpack until we get back to the Possible household."

"And stay quiet while you're at it!" Shang stuffed Mushu back into the backpack.

Mushu found the spare camisole Mulan packed. It was soft and warm - just right for a blanket. "Time for a nap..." he yawned. "A guardian dragon needs rest."

Snoring came from Ron's pocket. Rufus had fallen asleep too.

"At least they're quiet." joked Ron. He stole a little kiss from Kim.

"Ron, don't distract me while I'm backing out." said Kim seriously.

Then she heard a bump… followed by cursing.

She had backed into another car - a classic Nissan 300Z. This particular Z was a gleaming deep green. Some parts were modified for racetrack-style driving. Overall, the whole car was in near-perfect condition… key word was.

The driver, a tall middle-aged man in a doctor's outfit, was practically steaming with anger.

"Watch where you're going, you moron!" yelled the driver.

Kim apologized quickly, then pulled out of the school parking lot. She noticed the fancy car had a considerable scratch on the bumper.

"And that is why you don't distract Kim when she's driving." said Mulan. She looked back at the damaged car and its furious driver. Hopefully that guy wouldn't file an insurance claim against Kim...

-ring ring ring ring ring-

"James, could you get that?" Kim's mother was busy with Jim and Tim - specifically trying to heal their injuries. The boys had recently suffered an accident with rocket-powered skateboards.

"Sure thing, Ann." Kim's father went over to the phone. When he picked up, yelling came from the receiver. Terrific, thought James. It was Dr. Vernon Braeding.

Dr. Braeding was an important doctor at Tri-City Hospital - more like self-important. Aside from an inflated ego, he had anger management issues. He controlled his temper at work, but when he got back from the hospital, all bets were off.

"Dr. James Timothy Possible! I have a matter to settle with you… your daughter shouldn't be allowed to drive!"

"One, you're not my mother, so you can't call me by my middle name. Two, what makes you say that?"

"She backed her car into my Z! Do you have any idea how much my Z is worth?"

"It's a car. Did anyone get hurt?"

Dial tone. Dr. Braeding had hung up.

Just then, Kim walked in. "Hi, Mom."

The normally calm brain surgeon looked unsettled.

"Mom, what's…"

Kim's father put the phone back. "That was Dr. Braeding. He said you backed into his car?"

Kim lowered her head. "I… I did. It wasn't on purpose."

"He wants to speak with you about it."

Kim froze.

"But he'll have to get past me first." added Kim's father. "He needs to get his priorities straight… so concerned about that car, just hung up when I asked if anyone got hurt."

Mulan walked in soon after. Judging by her red face and breathlessness, she had been running... or fighting…

She looked just as nervous as Kim did. "That car problem will have to wait." she panted.

"What?" Kim couldn't believe it.

At last, Mulan caught her breath. "After I got out of the car, I noticed…"

Looking out the window, Mulan continued:

"...someone had been following us."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Mulan, you must have been seeing things." said Kim.

"I wasn't seeing things, I was seeing people." Mulan dropped her volume. "The kind of people who could inflict serious damage."

Kim tried not to roll her eyes. Mulan still hadn't caught on to idioms.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Kim's father went to open it and saw… a female camp counselor?

The counselor had long, wavy black hair tied back in a high ponytail. Her pale skin had a barely noticeable green tint to it. She wore a fitted green-and-black tee that said "Rising Sun Ranch" on it, along with forest-green equestrian breeches and black riding boots.

"Hello." said the counselor in a cordial voice. "My name is Sheila Graceland. I'm a counselor for Rising Sun Ranch, an equestrian summer camp for children ages 8 through 19."

Mulan immediately let her guard down. "You like horses?" she asked hopefully.

"Yes," said Sheila with a slight bit of amusement, "I wouldn't work at this summer camp if I didn't. What's your name?"

"Fa Mulan." said Mulan. "And the reason I asked is because I love horses!"

"Would you like to see a brochure?" asked Sheila, reaching into her pack.

"Oh, yes please!"

Kim nudged Mulan. This was not the time to go horse-crazy, especially not around a total stranger. Or maybe this counselor wasn't a stranger…

Sheila pulled out the brochure and handed it to Mulan. "Here you go, Mulan."

Mulan opened the brochure and started looking at the pictures of horses and their happy riders. Her smile grew. "Oh… this one looks like my horse Khan!" She showed Kim a photo of a strong black horse with a white stripe down his face and white markings on his legs. Kim nodded, but kept an eye on the suspicious counselor.

Shang had been in the kitchen looking for a snack. He overheard Mulan gushing about horses. Figuring the snack could wait, he went to the family room to see what was going on.

"Hey, um, what's this all about?"

"This really nice camp counselor came in and gave me a brochure about Rising Sun Ranch!"

"Well, what do you know about that." Shang couldn't help but smile. "That one looks like my horse Baojia." He put his thumb on a picture of a light gray horse with blanket spots on the quarters.

"Oh, another horse person?" guessed Sheila.

"Not as crazy about them as my girlfriend, but yes. My name is Li Shang, by the way."

"Shang, you'd be welcome too." Sheila nodded.

Mulan giggled at a cute photo of a younger camper grooming a pony.

"Excuse me for asking," said Shang, "but why is your skin so pale if you're at a camp?"

"I don't tan at all." Sheila explained. "I get the worst sunburns, so I always wear the best sunblock I can get my hands on."

"If you'd like to contact or visit Rising Sun Ranch," she added, "here's my information." She handed Mulan a business card.

"Kim, can we visit sometime?" Mulan begged. "Please?"

"All right, all right." Kim rolled her eyes. "We can visit."

"It was nice meeting you, Sheila." said Kim's father.

Sheila's cell phone rang. She looked at it and smiled apologetically. "That's the director. I'd better answer it. In the meantime, it was nice meeting you and I hope to see you at Rising Sun Ranch!"

Outside the Possible household, Drakken waited in his flying craft.

"Well?" he asked when Shego came out of the house.

Shego took her hair down. "I've got Mulan hooked, and Shang's right behind her. Kim's going to come with them."

"Good." said Drakken. "Should we try to lure her dopey sidekick as well?"

"No." answered Shego. "Ron doesn't like horses. Once we get Mulan and Shang trapped, Kim won't have any help."

"See, told you I have good plans."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let's get back to the lair so I can change. This riding outfit is not my style."

With that, the flying craft took to the air.

Kim began to think. She had put in job applications to a lot of camps for the next summer. Rising Sun Ranch wasn't on any list she had looked at. That was when the Kimmunicator beeped.

"Sitch, Wade?"

"Bad news and good news." said Wade, shaking his head.

"What's the bad news?" asked Kim.

Wade explained. "A summer camp contacted me about cybersecurity issues. Someone planted two bugs in their system. One is secretly collecting information on campers. The other is sending the campers emails about a partner camp. The partner camp has an address, but I looked on satellite view and it's all wilderness."

"And what's the good news?"

"I can track the bug's activity. So far the hackers have tracked down 50 campers and have sent them all emails. There's also a camp representative going around named Sheila Graceland…"

"Wait," Kim interjected, "did you say Sheila Graceland?"

"Yes."

"And what's the name of the partner camp?"

"Rising Sun Ranch… why?"

"Sheila Graceland showed up at our house today, with brochures and a business card for Rising Sun Ranch."

Kim huffed before continuing. "Worse, Mulan completely let her guard down when she found out horses were involved."

"I'd say go check it out."

"Got it."

Out of the corner of her eye, Kim saw Mushu lounging on a pillow and eating a small pack of almonds. He looked frustrated.

"Why does Mulan have to be so horse-crazy? Gonna get us all in trouble one day."

"Mushu, you're right." said Kim.

"Of course I'm right!" Mushu insisted. "Wait… what am I right about?"

"Sheila Graceland and Rising Sun Ranch are both fake. We need to investigate before anyone else gets trapped."

"Phonies with the ponies?" joked Mushu.

"Mushu…" groaned Kim.

A while later, Shang had come up with a strategy. Kim, Mulan, and the two animals sat on either side of an upside-down board game. Mushu had drawn a diagram of the forest around the fake campground, using the aerial view Wade had provided.

The two were using Scrabble tiles to represent each person in the mission: K for Kim, M for Mulan, and S for Shang. They also had three pieces from a game of Sugar Kingdom: red for Galyn Khaan, blue for Drakken, and green for Shego.

"OK," said Shang, "so here's the strategy." Everyone leaned in.

"We're going in during the late afternoon. Everyone will be having dinner or on patrol of the outermost borders."

He picked up Mulan's tile.

"Mulan will go in to investigate from the air. Once at the site, she'll land at the western gate."

Then he moved Kim's tile. "Kim will meet Mulan at the western gate. Their backs will be to the setting sun. The advancing guards will be blinded by the glare - easy take-down."

"C'mon, Pretty Boy," Mushu mocked, "that's the oldest trick in the book. They won't fall for it." He jumped on the board. The impact scattered the tiles and game pieces.

"Mushu!" snapped Mulan and Shang, not surprisingly at the same time.

Rufus got the hint. He shoved Mushu out of the way. The clever naked mole rat rearranged the board back to how it was. After that, Rufus strutted back to his side of the board. Mushu followed and muttered something rude.

Shang moved his tile. "I'll be at the north-western gate. The security measures there are extremely weak. One guard per three-hour shift, and a few cameras. All I have to do is take out the cameras, injure the guard, and meet Kim and Mulan at the western gate."

"Why can't you just kill him?" asked Mushu. He turned around. Much to everyone's annoyance, his tail whipped around and knocked over the game pieces. Rufus stood them back up where they belonged and front-kicked Mushu off of the board. Mushu yelped - Rufus's sharp foot claws made perfect contact.

"Barn pest!" Mushu shook his fist. "Only girls kick with their toes!"

Mulan glared at Mushu. "Then what does make me? I never kick with my toes!"

"Would you all just stop it?" shouted Kim.

Silence.

"Anyway…" said Shang, "the reason I wouldn't kill him is simple. If he's wounded and falls, an impact alarm will go off. I can get away while the other guards are distracted by that. Besides, no blood means no evidence."

"Once we're all at the western gate, we can enter. The computer center is right here." Shang pointed to a cross-section of the building. "From there, we just have to send an email blast from the real camp address. That will let people know Rising Sun Ranch is a trap."

"And then we have to get out, without anyone noticing." said Mulan.

"Glad you mentioned it. There are two stealth exits." Shang added. "One is the ventilation shaft, which would put us on some construction. Then it's just a matter of getting down safely."

"And what's the other exit?" asked Kim.

"The other is a tunnel. It's a shorter route, but that's where they keep spare weapons. We'd have to be careful not to set anything off."

"Good planning, sweetie." said Mulan, kissing Shang on the cheek.

Kim's face took on an expression of sheer determination. "Let's do this."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Really, Drakken?" Shego was back in her comfortable jumpsuit, and had spotted Drakken taking out a board game. "You think playing Adventures through Wonderland will help with a strategy?"

"It's the only board game with a forest!" Drakken retorted.

"Why can't we just use the digital map like modern villains?" Shego pointed to a large round table. It could display 3-D models of the surrounding area in a moveable view. Also, it was useful for tracking movements. But this time, it was completely unresponsive.

At that moment, a stocky henchman in a red utility suit came in. "Boss, the map is broken. It won't turn on!"

Shego wasn't having it. "Move over!" she snarled. After shoving the henchman aside, she went to the table.

"It's just unplugged." Muttering something about just how idiotic men could be, Shego plugged it back in.

The table powered on. The display lit up. The models began to render. Alas, it went blank yet again!

Drakken kicked the table at its base. He figured it was just like an old TV. Kicking usually worked when his mother's appliances wouldn't cooperate. Then again, he was a frustrated ten-year-old at the time and had more energy.

After a few half-hearted kicks, Drakken almost gave up. No! An evil super-genius didn't give up so easily! He gave it one more good roundhouse… and ended up hopping around holding the kicking foot. "Ow ow ow!" he cried in pain. "Ow ow owWHOOOAAAA!"

A series of loud crashes resounded throughout the lair. Drakken tumbled backwards down a flight of stairs, and landed in a storage room, filled with piles of old sports equipment. He sat up dizzily, only for a basketball to roll of a shelf and land on his head. Much to the henchman's surprise, Shego actually cringed.

Shego rushed down the stairs to assess the damage. Aside from a mess in the storage room - who was she kidding, it was already a mess - Drakken seemed unharmed.

"You ok, Boss?" The henchman peeked his head around the corner.

"I'm fine…" Drakken growled. Shego said nothing, and dragged her incompetent partner out of the jumble.

"Well, this makes things easy." Mulan was taking out crucial wiring around the western gate. It turned out that her Lightning Rod was perfect for this. So far, she had rendered a good number of the security measures non-functional.

Kim had since joined her. The two were about to enter, but they had to wait for Shang. Supposedly, he was at the north-western gate. They waited… and waited… and waited… where was he?

"What if he got captured?" worried Kim.

Mulan had an uncanny ability of knowing when Shang was in some sort of danger. This time was no exception.

"I'm going to rescue him." resolved Mulan. She began to leave, but Kim grabbed Mulan's arm.

"Not without my help."

"Why? So he can end up in your arms?"

"No!"

"Kim, I know you better than that. You like him, and what's worse, you're already courting!"

"I'm dating, not engaged! Besides, you were eyeing Ron that one time he was climbing to rescue the neighbor's cat."

"I was spotting him. You know how many times he's fallen!"

The two girls continued arguing. They didn't see a tall, hulking figure waiting among the treetops.

Out of nowhere, an arrow came flying towards the two. They didn't have time to move. It struck Mulan in the left shoulder - unconscious. Kim immediately went to Mulan's aid. Another arrow got Kim in the back - unconscious.

Galyn Khaan descended from the tree. He was proud of himself for his expert shooting, but also for using arrows with poisoned tips. The poison didn't kill the girls, but it did immobilize them.

He threw Kim over one shoulder and Mulan over the other. He had already captured Shang. Now he had three of his foes taken care of. With an evil laugh, he disappeared into the holding cell with his two captives.

Shang's eyes blinked open. He realized he was bound to a post, and his dagger was far away from him. There was still a sharp pain in his left shoulder. An arrow, he inferred. Then a clear oil dripped through the ropes from his shoulder. He bit his lip - the oil stung worse than disinfectant on a deep wound.

"That coward." he growled. "He used poisoned arrows… why couldn't he just show his ugly self and fight?"

He looked on either side, since his head and neck were still free. Mulan was on his right, and Kim was on his left.

Mulan coughed, waking Kim up. They looked between them and saw Shang.

"If I could just get closer, I'd kiss you!" Tears filled Mulan's eyes.

Kim thought that sounded wonderful. Then she realized she had spoken her thoughts - aloud!

"You're already courting Ron, I'm betrothed to Mulan!" Shang couldn't believe that Kim still didn't get the hint.

Kim hastily covered up her blunder. "I meant it sounded wonderful for you and Mulan."

The lovebirds simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"Well, at least we're together." said Kim.

Mulan shot Kim one of those looks.

"As a team." Kim made a quick correction. "We need to think of a way to get out of this holding cell."

Ron looked at the clock. Kim should have been at his house by now. More like twenty minutes ago. It wasn't like his Type A girlfriend to be late! Naturally, he began to worry.

That was when his cell phone started buzzing wildly. He read the text:

"KIM 911"

No time to think. Ron dropped the phone and ran to the garage. Then he grabbed his racing helmet and jumped onto his recently-modified motor scooter. He didn't know what the modifications were, since Jim and Tim were behind the project.

"If Kim's lost in those woods, I'm going to find her!" he resolved.

The machine roared into action. Ron gripped the handlebars and raced towards the woods.

But he had left something important behind…

Rufus looked out the window at Ron. The distinct forms of the vehicle and the human seemed to become one. It appeared to shrink as it moved farther and farther away. Then it jumped a hill and disappeared. Why, wondered the naked mole rat, did this happen?

Mushu came up beside Rufus. "Man, I dunno what got into his head."

Rufus read the most recent text message. He made a scared naked mole rat noise.

"No time to panic!" snapped Mushu, his commanding tone almost resembling the one Shang favored. "We have to follow him!"

They'd never catch up on the ground - getting run over was almost certain. The way to the forest was landlocked except for wild rapids - again, that was a death wish. The last option was to go by air. But how? The woods were a good distance away.

At the same time, they got an idea… rocket-powered flight!

Rufus went into the drawer where Ron kept model gliders. He used duct tape to reinforce it - lots of duct tape.

Mushu found some small fireworks that Mulan had made for a science project.

If the firework pointed at an upward angle rather than vertical, that would carry the glider forward and skyward. Mushu would light the fuse with his fire breath to power the flight. When one firework ran out of gunpowder and was about to explode, they'd jettison it and light a new one. This would get them there in no time!

Ron had almost arrived at the woods. The powerful engine - one of the modifications - was too noisy for stealth. He needed to stay undetected.

There was a button on the left handlebar that said "Stealth Mode." Ron pushed that button. Unexpectedly, a force field surrounded the scooter and Ron. The force field made them inaudible - and invisible.

"Boo-yah!" shouted Ron. Nobody could hear him, after all.

Then he looked up and saw... fireworks?

Rufus piloted the glider like a real ace. Mushu kept an eye out. They had lit and dropped the rockets with perfect timing. Ron was right below them. One rocket left and they'd be at the lair, ready to help Ron save the day!

Suddenly, the two animals heard a loud screech. Galyn Khaan's falcon, Shuurga, was pursuing them! Mushu's first thought was to turn Shuurga into another serving of Mongolian barbecue. But he was all out of fire.

Shuurga's talons grazed the final rocket. The friction made a spark and lit the fuse. It was burning a lot faster than the rest.

Mushu had saved the most powerful for one last burst of speed. It would explode within 45 seconds of being lit. They tried to drop the rocket. It wouldn't drop! The angle Shuurga had struck it at had broken the mechanism.

45 seconds turned to 30 seconds. 30 seconds turned to 15 seconds. 15 seconds turned to 10 seconds…

9 seconds. Rufus lost control of the glider.

8 seconds. Mushu frantically searched for a parachute.

7 seconds. No parachute.

6 seconds. A strong wind shook the glider.

5 seconds. The firework began to rumble.

4 seconds. Heat from the firework melted the duct tape.

3 seconds. The glider plummeted.

2 seconds. Rufus grabbed Mushu.

1 second. They jumped off the glider.

The firework exploded above them. The glider burned up and blasted into splinters.

After free-falling for some time, Rufus and Mushu landed in a pile of leaves. They looked up at the sky - the firework was still bursting. Mushu looked at Rufus. The two nodded in silent agreement. Had they not jumped when they did, they would have gone up in flames like the glider.

They ran to the entrance. Ron hit the brakes on his scooter. Then he looked down. "Rufus! Mushu!"

Rufus nodded his head and jumped onto Ron's shoulder for a high-five. Mushu, on the other hand, walked around the scooter.

"What's this thing?" Mushu hopped onto the seat.

"It's my motor scooter." explained Ron. "It's faster than my bike, and it turns invisible!"

"Then how come I can see it?" Mushu sounded suspicious.

Ron pushed the button, trying to make the force field reappear. No luck.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw green and black flashes.

"Shego…"

"Who else did you expect, sidekick?"

"Uh, that scary looking dude?"

"My name is Galyn Khaan!"

Galyn Khaan and Shego began to argue: who should do the honor of capturing Ron? Shego may have been smaller than the new villain, but she was smarter and had more skills than the use of brute strength. Not to mention, she had figured out how to throw her powers as a mid-range weapon, while Galyn Khaan only had the fire sword.

The argument soon turned into a physical fight… allowing Ron and the two animals to escape.

"Shang, are you sure you don't have any ideas?" asked Kim.

"Do you have any?" Shang retorted.

"I'm sick of being tied up like an ill-behaved animal." added Mulan.

Just then, her pendant began glowing.

"Kim!" exclaimed Mulan. "The pendants!"

"What about the pendants?" asked Kim, suddenly intrigued.

"If we focus on them," Mulan continued, "maybe we'll be able to get out of this mess!"

The two focused on their respective pendants. The glow increased in brightness and intensity until it became as concentrated as a laser. Kim took in a breath, loosening the ropes. She moved her core muscles like a waterfall, making the laser move up and down the ropes. Mulan did the exact same thing. At the same time, the ropes sliced open and fell away. They fell forward and executed a perfect breakfall, then stood back up. The pendants stopped glowing.

"OK, Shang, now let's get you out." said Mulan. "Hold still." She picked up the dagger and slashed the ropes. Shang landed on two feet. Mulan gave him the dagger.

"Why can't I rescue you for a change?" asked Shang.

"Uh, role reversal is a thing."

It was Ron!

"I've come to rescue you." he said gallantly, lifting Kim like a knight catching a fine lady.

"We've rescued ourselves, thank you." said Mulan.

Ron put Kim back on her feet.

"But we still have to get out of the cell, and take out the computers." pointed Kim.

"And then we need to get out of the lair." added Shang.

"Shang," said Mulan, "you said there were two exits we could use. Which one is the closest?"

As they made their way to the computer, the Kimmunicator went off.

"Sitch, Wade?"

"I got into the main computer and sent the email blast." affirmed Wade. "Now get out of there!"

The team backtracked.

Either the ventilation shaft that led to scaffolding, or a tunnel filled with weapons… the team agreed on the ventilation shaft. When they got to the shaft, another problem awaited them.

It was too high to jump into. Nothing to climb up from.

Kim handled the crisis. She whipped out her grappling-hook hairdryer from her pack. With a clanging noise, the hook embedded itself inside the shaft. Kim bent her knees and jumped, causing the line to pull her up. Then she unhooked it and handed the tool down to Shang.

Shang took a hold of Mulan in one arm and shot the grappling hook with the other. They made it inside just as easily as Kim. Mulan handed it to Ron.

Ron twirled the hairdryer and aimed it up to the shaft. Unfortunately, the twirling had snagged his belt loop. When the hook went up, his pants went with it.

Shang reluctantly reached down and grabbed Ron by the arm, pulling the pantless boy up into the shaft.

"Kim, does he always lose his pants?" asked Mulan critically.

"No!" Ron got defensive, then backed off. "Uh… just very often."

Shang rolled his eyes. "Just get your pants back on. Nobody wants to see your spotted boxers."

They made it to the end of the shaft. Shang looked out.

"Remember," he warned, "there's scaffolding here. It doesn't look stable."

Kim went down carefully, mindful of nails and rough areas. She made it to the ground safely.

After observing Kim's route, Shang began to climb down. He tried to keep his weight balanced. The scaffolding he was on swayed slightly, but he managed to join Kim.

Ron followed, figuring he had this down pat. But on the way down, the scaffolding began to shake violently. He let go of the beam he was on and fell.

Mulan heard Ron screaming, and jumped from the ventilation shaft. "Flight mode, activate!" The wings unfolded from the back of her battlesuit, and the rockets powered forward to meet Ron's fall. Shortly before Ron hit the ground, Mulan swooped in and caught him. Then she turned so her feet were facing down and went into glider mode. "Flight mode, quit." The wings folded back in as she landed. She held Ron for a few seconds to make sure he was all right. Then she put him back down.

"Thanks…" Ron had lost his breath from the fall - and from Mulan saving him. Now he kind of understood why Kim was attracted to Shang. No. Bad idea. Kim had already dug herself into a hole. Ron didn't want to make it any deeper.

"OK," said Kim, "there's one scheme down."

"And many more to go." Mulan added.

"What makes you say that?" Shang asked impatiently.

"Do you really think they'd stop at a phony summer camp? Middleton High is probably next on the list."

Shang just shook his head. He didn't know why the villains would be stupid enough to attack a high school. Detection was inevitable.

Kim and Mulan looked at each other. Their pendants began glowing again - they both knew what was about to happen.

TO BE CONTINUED...


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Mr. Barkin blew his whistle. The basketball team snapped to attention. He walked down the line. Jake, Camryn, Kent, Ben, and RJ. Those were the five main players. Then he looked at the bench, where ten substitutes sat. Well, nine of them were here… and some Asian guy on the far left, who he had never seen before. Mr. Barkin had been largely unaware of the "exchange students." Until now.

"What's your name, young man?" demanded Mr. Barkin.

Shang stood up and answered, unaffected by the officer-like tone. He was used to it. "My name is Li Shang, sir."

"Shang, where are you from?"

Shang stuck to the story Kim told him to use: student at a gifted school in China, studying overseas on a scholarship. "It's an honor to study at Middleton High School, sir." he added, trying to improve his chances.

Mr. Barkin seemed pleased. "You came for tryouts?"

"Yes, sir."

Nodding at the other players, Mr. Barkin tossed the ball into the air. Shang leapt from his spot on the bench and caught it. Then he passed it to Jake.

"Not bad… for a short Asian guy." Jake's backhanded compliment didn't go over well with Shang.

"You wanna make this a matter of where I'm from instead of how I compete?" Shang challenged. He leveled a glare at Jake. "It's on."

Jake began to dribble the ball. Shang soon got in the way. Jake stepped back. The extra room gave Shang a chance to steal the ball.

"Nice move, tiger." Jake said sarcastically. At this irreverent mention of his zodiac animal, Shang didn't hold back. He sprinted up the court and executed a flawless jumping hook shot. On the way down, he caught the ball again, and passed it to Jake from just the right distance.

"Let's see that again!" mocked Ben. Ben was well over six feet tall, and played aggressively. A little too aggressively at times.

Jake passed the ball to Ben; the taller boy ran to the basket with an astounding stride. Shang wasn't the sort to be deterred by an opponent's size. If anything, it was a challenge to be overcome. Ben made the shot. The ball went up, up, up... and down. Shang jumped again, and successfully deflected the ball.

RJ went next. He was shorter than some of the other guys, but had long arms that were perfect for blocking and stealing. Ben eagerly passed the ball to Shang. Sure, the new kid could jump, but could he run and maneuver around people? RJ immediately made himself into an obstacle. Shang used a few sideways sliding steps to get past RJ, then pivoted and ran for the basket. RJ chased Shang, but couldn't stop the arc of the shot. This shot missed! RJ tried to get the ball, but Shang went in for a rebound and made it on the second try.

Camryn and Kent decided to go last - the Dangerous Duo. Their nickname fit. Indeed, they were dangerous to other teams. Not only were they skilled, but they had an uncanny ability to complement each other's moves. If one passed, the other went to get it. If one shot, the other readied for a rebound.

"Two against one!" jeered Camryn.

Kent echoed this sentiment. "You don't stand a Chinaman's chance!"

Trash talking was one thing. Racist trash talking was another. Shang refused to let them get away with it.

Kent prepared to pass the ball. Shang got in the way. Camryn approached from the left, and Kent passed it. Shang moved and swiped the ball in mid-pass. He ran with it to the basket, only to have the twins on either side of him.

He moved back, they made a wall. He moved forward, they left no space to shoot. He moved to the right, they didn't have time to react. Shang jumped again, all lined up for an impressive dunk. But the twins weren't having it. Camryn reached up and grabbed Shang's trailing leg. Kent dealt a punch on the way down.

"Ayy!" They bumped fists as Shang lay on the hard floor of the court.

Jake felt terrible. His rudeness set a bad example for the other guys, and now Shang was injured.

"Hey, Shang, you OK?" asked Jake. He extended a hand and helped Shang up.

Shang's first instinct was to say yes. Ignore the all-over pain. Keep going like nothing ever happened. Stay strong. Be a man.

But then he thought of what Mulan often told him. If you're hurt, just say so.

"No."

"Looks like you fell hard." Jake glared at the twins after saying this.

Mr. Barkin had a rare moment of pity. "Jake, Shang, you're excused for the day."

He then turned to the twins. "As for you two…"

Kim looked around the field. Her new teammate - and now the new twirler for the Mad Dogs - had gone missing. Either that, or late.

"Has anyone seen Mulan?" asked Kim.

The other cheerleaders shrugged. Except for Bonnie. "Seriously, Kim? You're still asking people if they've watched that stupid movie?"

Kim rolled her eyes. Shortly after, she was greeted by a familiar-sounding "I'm here!"

There was Mulan, looking... well, not in the best shape to be a twirler. Her track suit was dirty and her signature braid had come undone. Not to mention, she had obviously been at the rock wall again, judging by the chalk all over her sleeves and the smell of sweat.

"Get in the changing room, you so need to clean up." said Kim. She steered Mulan away from the other cheerleaders.

"Hey, I didn't ask for a cold shower!" complained Mulan.

Kim wasn't having it. "Not my fault the pipes don't always work. Did take your things in there?"

"No."

"Here." Kim found a waterproof toiletries bag and pushed it under the shower curtain. She heard a cringing noise right after. "Close your eyes when you wash your hair." she pointed.

"Thanks, little miss obvious."

After the shower, Kim brought out the twirler outfit. She interpreted the disgusted look on Mulan's face. "I know it's exposing, but you have to wear it."

Mulan stepped into the purple leotard, slipping her left arm into the one-shoulder strap. The strap waved around the top border of the outfit in both front and back. A white stripe was on top and a gold stripe was on the bottom. It had a cluster of purple rhinestones set in gold on the front of the shoulder. Kim zipped up the back. The tight closure loosed a loud, high-pitched gasp from Mulan's lips.

Purple-white-and-gold sequined fringe made a micro skirt around Mulan's hips and the top of her thighs. It attached to the leotard with a chevron-shaped belt, gold on top and white on the bottom. The fringe annoyingly scratched Mulan's skin, but Kim told her to deal with it.

The boots came up to Mulan's mid-thighs. They were mostly white, except for the parts covering her feet. Those were purple with an upward, rounded protrusion at the top-front. Gold embellishments made an X across the top of the boots, filled in with purple. Another cluster of purple rhinestones, set in gold, accentuated the middle of the X.

The gloves came up past her elbows. Again, they were mostly white, with the adorned X around them. A purple stripe right above her wrists gave way to a gold band on her wrists. The part covering her hands was purple.

"You can't wear your hair down." said Kim. "It'll get tangled up on the baton."

"What about a braid?"

"No braids. Your hair has to be in a bun."

Mulan grumbled as Kim took out a purple-and-white ribbon. Gold bobby pins too.

"Hold still." Kim began brushing and stroking Mulan's hair to smooth it. That was actually enjoyable. What wasn't so enjoyable was when Kim started the actual styling.

"Aiya!" Mulan winced and whimpered as Kim pulled and pinned. After five excruciating minutes, Mulan's hair was up in a high bun.

Kim then pulled out a small cosmetics set. Mulan groaned - she hated makeup. Kim paid little attention. She applied metallic eye shadow and subtly glittered blush, along with lip stain.

After all this was done, Mulan looked in a full body mirror. "Am I ready?" she asked impatiently. Kim shook her head; she opened something that looked like a long instrument case. Inside was a long, golden baton with purple end caps. Then she handed it to Mulan.

"Is this my staff?" Mulan ran her hand along the smooth cylinder.

"It's a baton." corrected Kim. "You're not supposed to hit people with it."

"What about Bonnie?"

Kim had to think about that for a minute. It would be satisfying to see Bonnie leaving the field due to injury. Then again, Mulan knew of pressure points that would knock anyone out. That would just get them both in trouble - Mulan for violence against a fellow student, Kim for encouraging said violence.

"No. You can't hit her either."

"Took you long enough." Bonnie spat, when Kim and Mulan returned to the field. "Do you even know the routine?"

"Kim says the twirler has a different routine than the cheerleaders." said Mulan.

Kim added that there had never been a twirler before. Because of this, there was no set routine.

The band director, Mr. Keyscott, gestured to the pep band. He ordered, "Instruments up!" The pep band readied their instruments.

"Play something good for the new twirler." said Mr. Keyscott.

The drummers smirked at each other, and began to play a distinctive drum intro.

"Oh terrific." muttered Mulan. She noticed everyone was watching her critically. Not good. Standing there in annoyance wasn't helping her case. So she did the first thing that came to mind.

Mulan began to march up to the center of the field, switching hands as she twirled the baton.

When the brass section came in, Mulan gripped the baton with both hands. She assumed a fairly wide stance, and lifted the baton horizontally to the front. Two white ceramic jars rested on either side of her. Each end of the baton hooked on a jar handle; the jars flew.

Then, Mulan thrust the baton forward and spun it end over end. She pivoted 360 degrees, and landed in a forward stance. Strike left! Strike right! The jars shattered and showered the field with gold and purple glitter. Again, she twirled the baton in her right hand, and swung it forward.

From there, it was hard to keep track of Mulan's motions. High kick, baton over head, foot down and baton swing. Turning kick, baton strike, stabilize and one-foot spin. Baton toss, jump-spin, catch and leap. These were mixed with moves nobody had seen.

At the end, the drummers began to sing.

"We must be swift as the coursing river…"

Mulan loosened just enough to flow like whitewater rapids.

"With all the force of a great typhoon…"

Mulan did more spinning strikes, as if channeling a storm.

"With all the strength of a raging fire…"

Mulan tightened up and attacked an imaginary opponent.

"Mysterious as the dark side of the moon!"

Mulan got a running start, then sprang into the air for a flip. She unrolled into a flying side kick and stabbed the air with the baton. As she kicked, she unleashed a yell that overpowered the whole band!

Finally, Mulan landed. She twirled the baton in her right hand one more time before touching the end to the ground. Nobody had any doubts after that.

Shang was recovering from his injuries in the nurse's office, lying on a bed. Jake had pulled up a chair. They had been able to watch Mulan's twirling routine through the TV. There were cameras on the field used for sporting events. With cleverness unheard of from most jocks, Jake had received permission to operate the cameras from a remote distance.

Jake's jaw dropped. "Whoa, she looks hot in that outfit!"

"Don't talk about my girlfriend like that." Shang looked disgusted. "She's more than just a pretty face, and that routine should prove it."

"Sorry, man."

This wasn't going anywhere good. Shang changed the subject. "So… you know about Mulan. Could you tell me about Star?"

Jake's face fell. "Star… she's really smart and really beautiful. But more than that, she has a kind heart."

"Anything else?"

Jake took a deep breath. "She was diagnosed with cancer before school started. The doctors have been trying to cure it through chemo, but it makes her sicker than the cancer."

Shang didn't know what to say. "What are the odds of her coming to a basketball game?"

Just then, the phone rang. The nurse, Judy, picked it up.

"Hello?... Yes, Shang is here… would you like me to tell him?... I'll make sure he's better before the first game… goodbye."

"Shang, that was Mr. Barkin." said Judy after she hung up. "He says you made the team."

Jake put up his fist. Shang looked at him funny.

"Just bump your fist on mine."

Shang also made a fist, but what he intended as a bump turned into a short-range punch. Jake drew back his hand. "No joke intended, but you really pack a punch!"

The two shared a laugh. Despite their tense beginnings, they were on the way to becoming great friends.

"So, what are the odds of Star coming to a basketball game?"

Jake shook his head. "Not the best. But when she does come, I have a promise to keep." He took a deep breath before continuing. "Here in America, there are charities that make wigs for cancer patients who lose their hair. The reason I've been growing my hair out is so I can donate it to one of those charities. And more than anything, I want Star to see it."

"That's…" Shang tried to find the right words. Back where he came from, cutting one's hair was considered a great dishonor. But in America, it seemed much less important. "That's really generous of you."

"But what if Star isn't there?" Jake looked down at his sneakers.

"She will be." said two familiar voices. It was Kim and Mulan. The two looked at each other with bewilderment. They kept saying the same things at the same time, finishing each other's sentences… probably had something to do with the pendants.

Mulan went up to the bed Shang was resting in. She felt his forehead and smiled down at him.

"You're the only nurse I want to see." Shang tried to be smooth, but just ended up sounding awkward. "Come here, your patient needs cuddling."

"You're so sweet when you're awkward." Mulan bent over and kissed her now-blushing lover on the forehead.

"OK, that's enough." pointed Kim. "We better head home."

Jake saw right through Kim's façade of impatience. "Kim, are you jealous?" asked Jake, raising an eyebrow.

"If a crush on Shang counts as jealous…" Mulan glared at Kim.

"I do not have a crush on him!" Kim retorted.

Jake snorted. He had been in second grade with Kim. When their class watched the movie, the smitten Kim would gaze dreamily and blush. Now that Shang was actually here and not just on a screen, add in the fact Kim was already dating... it was more complicated. Just because Kim had buried her feelings didn't mean they had died.

"Maybe you should go to the locker room and get changed." suggested Jake.

The girls looked at each other, nodded in agreement, and left.

"Good, now I won't have to listen to their arguing." muttered Shang.

But the arguing was about to become the least of the team's concerns...

TO BE CONTINUED...


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Kim and Mulan were almost at the locker room. They were about to enter when Mulan noticed something crawling on the door handle. It looked like a hornet. Unlike most hornets, which were a dull dark gray, this one had the severe shine of steel. It sat surprisingly still as the girls approached.

The hornet raised its abdomen in a threat position. A long, glinting stinger poked out from the back of its abdomen. From the base of the stinger, a thick green liquid dripped down the hornet's body. Then the hornet began smoothing the liquid over its metallic body with its legs and antennae.

"Gross." shuddered Mulan. "The hornets in China don't act like that."

"No hornet acts like that… it's a drone."

"A what?"

"Basically, a spy robot."

Kim's pendant started glowing. A small lightning bolt charged from the pendant. Electric sparks flashed around the drone. It fell, still leaking the sticky goop.

At that moment, the Kimmunicator beeped.

"Wade, we found this crawling around on the locker room handle." Kim showed Wade the hornet-like drone by turning her screen to it.

"And it left a mess." added Mulan, pointing to the green secretion.

Wade looked worried. "That's WASP 2." he explained. "Willing Assassin and Spy Project 2."

"Ron told me about a hornet nest in his yard." said Kim. "He said they weren't acting like ordinary hornets."

"Where did he see it?" asked Wade.

Ron showed up. "I didn't see it… I stepped on it."

"That's why you weren't in class." said Mulan.

"Have you ever stepped on a hornet nest?" Ron went pale from the recent memory.

"No." said Mulan flatly. "I might be clumsy sometimes, but I also pay attention to what's around me."

"You don't pay attention to the tea."

"Why, you little…"

Kim interrupted, "Would you two cut it out?!"

She turned back to Wade. "You said it was WASP 2. Was there a WASP 1?"

"Yes." said Wade. "WASP 1's stinger was filled with a combination of venoms. It caused serious pain, but their likelihood of killing someone was low."

"Not enough to take down the Ron!" boasted Ron.

Kim rolled her eyes before continuing. "And what about WASP 2?"

"WASP 2 is an upgrade."

A diagram of the drone rotated on the Kimmunicator screen. Instead of regular venoms, the stinger featured an ultra-concentrated neurotoxin - more painful and more likely to kill. The odd preening behavior Mulan witnessed not only distracted opponents, but also made a protective coating. Touching the outside of the drone after it had coated itself could deliver an electric shock.

"Unlike most insects," continued Wade, "the WASP 2 can't make its own poisons. It's loaded into the body of the drone like a lethal injection."

"But… who came up with it?" asked Mulan.

Drakken paced around the room, his body tense. Some of his henchmen had traveled to the main branch of the Switzerland-based company Geo-Logic. While there, they kidnapped the chief scientist, Dr. Vivienne Novaterre. Kidnapping: successful. Extracting information: not so much.

Geo-Logic worked mainly on "living stone." Dr. Novaterre deplored the work of big mining corporations. Not only did they destroy the earth, they repeatedly got away with human rights violations. All for the sake of money and opulence. Granite or marble countertops were in high demand, so the mining corporations didn't care about the harm.

In response, Dr. Novaterre decided to develop an alternative. She had watched other scientists create beautiful gemstones. What was stopping her from doing the same with granite and marble? Eventually, she perfected a process that not only grew the stone, but also shaped it into slabs. What didn't get used for the countertops was recycled to make more.

Drakken naturally wanted the secret behind the living stone. He could make statues and bring them to life. Under his command, they'd serve as indestructible death machines. But he wasn't getting answers from the Swiss scientist.

Just then, a henchman ran in. "Boss, someone stole those drones you were working on!"

"What?! They were under the highest security!"

"That's not all. Whoever stole them didn't set off any alarms."

"I need those drones." Drakken punched his palm. "This scientist has a secret, but she won't talk!"

"Ever heard the saying, 'don't kill the messenger?' "

"Keep it up, and Shego will defy that old… wait. Where is Shego?"

In a gym not too far from the Possible household, Shego worked the heavy bag at a kickboxing session. Her acrobatic fighting style had worked well for a time. Now things were different. Kim had two exceptional martial artists on her side, one of whom had a battle suit and an electrically-charged staff. To say the least, Shego was at a minor disadvantage. The ambitious villainess wouldn't tolerate any disadvantage. It was time to diversify her arsenal.

The kickboxing instructor, Hwan Do-Yun, was born in South Korea. On his 25th birthday, he traveled to America and opened a martial arts gym. He had never encountered any problems involving villains. Thus, he didn't know that his newest student was working toward a less-than-noble goal.

"Shego, you're doing well. Water break."

"Thank you, sir." Shego bowed and went over to the water cooler. After a few drinks, she jogged back to the bag.

"Wait until Dr. D finds out that I've gone solo…" Shego gloated between kicks. "He'll realize just how valuable I am. I'm not going back without a really good reason."

Kim, Ron, Mulan, and Shang had since returned to the Possible home. Shang was still a little sore from his fall on the basketball court.

"Nothing I can't take care of." Mulan's voice sounded sweeter than seven spoonfuls of honey. She helped Shang take his shirt off, and got him comfortable on the couch for a massage. "Shang, honey, you're so tense." she whispered as she rubbed. "Relax."

She didn't notice Kim had taken a few peeks at Shang's strong torso. Nor did she notice Ron looked a little jealous - why didn't Kim give massages like that?

*Beep-beep-beep-beep*

Mulan stopped the massage and picked up the Kimmunicator. "What's the sitch?" she asked. Then she realized what she had said. She grumbled something best not translated before handing the device to Kim.

"Drakken's holding a scientist hostage and trying to extract information from her." explained Wade.

"Who's the scientist?" asked Kim.

"Dr. Vivienne Novaterre, founder of the Swiss company Geo-Logic."

"Didn't she develop 'living stone' or something?"

"Yes. Drakken wants the secret behind it, but Dr. Novaterre won't talk."

Mulan and Kim looked at each other and nodded in agreement. "Shang, get your shirt back on. We've got a mission to complete."

Shang stood up and put on his shirt. Kim tried not to take another peek.

Dr. Novaterre was trapped in a dark cell. Drakken hadn't bound her like he usually did with captives, figuring there wasn't much room to plot a resistance. But despite the cramped dimensions, Dr. Novaterre's mind was unrestricted.

There was a laptop in the corner! She could make contact… no, bad idea. It was probably monitored. That would alert Drakken that someone would be coming for a rescue, and he'd meet them with a fight.

Little did she know that her rescuers were closer than she thought...

"OK, any questions?" asked Mulan. She had managed to fly onto the roof with her winged battlesuit, and the rest of the team relayed up with Kim's grappling hook.

"Why does your face look Photoshopped?" asked Ron.

"It's a gadget Wade came up with. He called it 'maquillage de soldat.' I think it's French for... something."

"Soldier's makeup?" Shang guessed with a laugh. He had gotten his hands on Kim's foreign language notes. "That's ironic."

"He gave me some too." pointed Kim. She explained that it applied like a face cream, and hardened to a flexible armor. "By the way, were you looking at my foreign language notes without asking?"

"You looked at his chest without asking!" snapped Mulan.

Kim slapped her hands to her face, embarrassed by Mulan's words.

At that moment, Mushu hopped out of Mulan's pack.

"You can't blame KP for staring." Mushu brushed it off - then followed with a wisecrack. "Pretty Boy's like a museum piece - look all you want, just don't touch!"

Mushu's joke brought Kim from merely embarrassed to completely humiliated. She groaned into her hands and wished she could disappear. Clearly, there was too much entertainment value in her crush.

Rufus poked his head out of Ron's pocket at the commotion. Mushu was still making inappropriate comments about "KP and Pretty Boy." Upon hearing a particularly dirty remark, Rufus jumped out of Ron's pocket and started grappling with Mushu.

"Hey, can't a dragon have a little - OW!"

Rufus bit Mushu's serpentine tail. Normally this solved the problem. This time, it only got worse. Scarlet blood gushed from two holes in Mushu's tail. The bite had caused a puncture wound on a main artery.

"Mushu!" Mulan panicked. She cradled the injured dragon. Just in time, the pendants started glowing. Mulan touched her pendant to Mushu's tail. The blood went away and the holes healed over without any scars.

"KP, look!" exclaimed Ron. Kim looked down at her pendant. A blood-red aura was flowing back and forth between the pendants, like a river of fire. Then it dwindled and disappeared. The pendants stopped glowing.

"We need to get inside." said Kim, focusing on the mission again.

"Uh…" Ron looked up nervously.

Something that looked like a pouch made of aluminum foil dangled from a tree branch. It barely hung on by a braided steel thread, swinging back and forth like an insane pendulum. A buzzing noise echoed inside of it. Suddenly, the volume of the buzzing started pulsing. After about ten pulses, they realized it was something of a time bomb. Only instead of causing an an explosion, it would unleash a swarm of WASP 2 drones.

"Come on, Ron, staring at the nest won't keep you safe!" Kim pushed Ron down the ventilation shaft. "Shang, follow Ron!" Shang jumped in after a screaming Ron.

"Mulan, get in the shaft!"

Mulan stood her ground.

"Are you out of your mind?! Get in there!"

"I think I know a way to stop them - all of them."

"Mulan! This is no time for..."

Just then, the nest burst open. Kim jumped down the shaft, trying to grab Mulan's foot on the way down. No luck.

Mulan gripped the Lightning Rod with a surprising amount of resolve, and began to twirl it in all different directions. The rapid motion formed a shield that electrocuted the drones on contact. They fell at her feet, writhing and shooting off sparks before dying.

"Almost done…" she muttered. She knew from biology class that insects often had a queen. Once the queen was killed, the lack of command would make the insects stop swarming. Or in the case of drones, the lack of a signal would cause a massive shut down. And sure enough, a golfball-sized WASP 2 came flying at her face. This was the command drone.

The "soldier's makeup" turned metallic. It reflected the sun and disoriented the command drone. Mulan wasted no time in swatting it out of the air with her Lightning Rod.

With the drones gone, Mulan followed the rest of the team down the shaft.

Dr. Novaterre continued to pace, unable to think of a way out. That laptop was looking more and more promising… until she heard two young men arguing outside the door:

"No, Ron, you can't just pick the lock!"

"And what do you know about picking locks, Pretty Boy?"

"If you call me that one more time…"

And a conversation between two young women:

"Kim, is he always this useless?"

"Useless?"

"Well, this isn't the kind of lock that can be picked, he lost his pants on the way down…"

"Oh, so you think it's funny when he loses his pants?"

"Well…"

Dr. Novaterre pounded the walls of her cell. "Mademoiselle Possible!" she shouted. "Aidez-moi!"

"Je vais!" Kim replied.

"Let's pretend I don't know what that means." said Ron. He was still trying to get his pants back up.

"No pretending needed, Blondie." scoffed Shang.

"Don't call me Blondie!"

"Don't call me Pretty Boy."

Mulan rolled her eyes. The guys just wouldn't shut up. She punched the glass casing around the cipher pad, shattering it. No sooner had she completed the motion than an alarm started shrieking.

Kim pointed the Kimmunicator at the cipher pad and sent a jamming signal. Sparks flew from the pad, followed by a puff of smoke. The door to the cell opened, revealing a frightened but unscathed Dr. Novaterre.

"Come on!" shouted Kim. She grabbed Dr. Novaterre's hand and the team made a run for it.

Meanwhile, the henchmen heard the alarm. They rushed to get their weapons. "Get them!" barked Drakken. "And I want the scientist alive!"

The henchmen obeyed, starting a wild pursuit of the team and Dr. Novaterre.

"Incoming!" yelled Shang. No sooner had he said this than three hulking henchmen charged at him with electrically-enhanced tridents. They were much taller than he was. "They want a fight, they'll get a fight…" he growled.

As the henchmen stabbed, Shang jumped straight into the air. The tridents crossed, making a tangle of electricity and metal. He landed on the rods, using his weight to snap the crossed weapons. The electrical conduction stopped. Then he worked quickly to execute a "grab and stab" - grab the weapons, stab the wielders.

"Boo-yah!" cheered Ron. "Score one for the captain!"

"Ron, watch out!" warned Kim. Now here came ten henchmen. They were riding high-speed Segways with spiked wheels.

"Spiked wheels, that makes it easy." muttered Mulan.

"Easy?" Ron was panicking again.

Shang explained. If these henchmen got too close to each other, the spiked wheels would mesh together like gears. This would tip the Segways over and the spikes would impale the henchmen. "Typical barbarian mistake."

"Just like Alexander the Great in that one battle!" Ron was feeling a lot more confident.

"Alexander who?" asked Mulan. "And what battle?"

"Shut up!" shouted Dr. Novaterre, speaking English instead of her native French. The team went quiet and prepared to fight.

The henchmen started closing in. "OK, when I say now, jump out of the way!" ordered Kim. "NOW!" Everyone jumped out of the way. Sure enough, the spiked wheels got caught on one another and the Segways fell. The henchmen fell off onto their own weapons.

"That's a nice sight." said Mulan. Impaling was a nasty way to go.

"Are you being sarcastic or serious?" asked Ron.

"Little bit of both." Mulan brushed it off.

The team and Dr. Novaterre made it out safely.

"Thanks…" Dr. Novaterre was breathless but beyond grateful.

"Eh, it's a good guy thing, and… OW!" Ron's boasting earned him an elbow-strike to the side from Shang.

"Show a little humility, for a change." Shang couldn't stand Ron's cocky attitude.

"She still has to get back to Switzerland." pointed Kim.

At that moment, a military aircraft flew in. It was a good-sized plane with a big rotor on each wing. The twin rotors tilted up and the plane landed vertically.

"WOW! What's that?!" Ron looked and sounded like a little kid at an air show. Mulan and Shang gaped at the unfamiliar technology.

"That's a V-22 Osprey." sad Dr. Novaterre. "The US Marine Corps recently put it into service."

"But we don't know any…"

A young but experienced-looking Marine exited the aircraft. A flight helmet obscured his head. He removed it, showing a distinctive face: a protruding nose, intense brown eyes under somewhat thick blond brows, and tanned lips in a perpetual snarl.

"First Lieutenant Tim Sharpton, USMC, at your service." said the Marine.

"Hey, I remember you!" Ron brightened up. "You were that kid in Camp Wannaweep with that world aircraft book!"

"Yeah, it came in handy." Tim briefly grinned at the memory. Then he turned serious again. "Anyway, I'm here for Dr. Novaterre. Kim alerted me."

"Thank you." Dr. Novaterre turned back to the team as she got in the aircraft. "All of you."

Tim put his flight helmet back on. Once Dr. Novaterre was in, he shut the doors and started.

The V-22 took off, rotors slicing and beating the air. When it was at a good altitude, the rotors tilted horizontally like a normal plane. It sped off into the sky, ready to start Dr. Novaterre's trip home.

Once back at the Possible household, the team recapped the mission.

"I think something was missing in the lair." pointed Mulan.

Mushu lounged on a small pillow. "More like someone." He tossed an almond upward and used his fire to roast it. Idle as usual.

Kim thought back. There were more henchmen than usual. And heavily armed ones at that! Usually, Drakken would have Shego handle things like that…

"Shego!" Kim and Mulan realized it at the same time.

For a moment, the guys couldn't believe it. "But she wouldn't just leave…"

"...or would she?"

TO BE CONTINUED...


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

The day after rescuing Dr. Novaterre was uneventful. Except for one detail. Shang was still in pain. After landing on the gym floor and going straight to a mission, his muscles and joints were a mess. Kim's mother had ordered a bottle of pain-relieving pills for him.

In the afternoon, the mailman's truck pulled up to the Possible household. Kim walked out to greet him. But he looked unfamiliar.

"Package for… Shang Li?"

"Li Shang." corrected Kim, taking the small box.

Shrugging, the mailman went back into his truck. "That's not what the delivery address says, but OK."

Kim thanked the mailman. He drove off.

But something didn't seem right. First, the mixed-up name. Second, that wasn't the regular mailman. Third, pills didn't come within the same day. She decided to inspect the contents before administering any "medication."

Kim went back inside and up to her room. She opened the package - surprising lack of bubble wrap. Then she noticed the pill bottle was opaque. Pill bottles were usually transparent. Worse, it didn't have any information stickers or drug facts. "So against regulations." muttered Kim. Her first thought was to discard them - no, better to investigate. She hid them in her closet locker. "I'll look at those later." Then she went downstairs.

She didn't see a falcon perched on a branch nearby - or his owner waiting on the ground.

*Beep-beep-beep-beep*

Kim picked up the Kimmunicator. "Wade, what's the sitch?"

"Something weird is going on with the mail routes." Wade zoomed out and showed a digital map of the streets in the Tri-City Area. The streets lit up in red, blue, and green, showing the various routes each mail truck went on. He explained that red was Middleton, blue was Lowerton, and green was Upperton. "This is the normal route pattern."

Then, Wade tapped the screen. "And this is what the routes look like now." There was only blue and green. "Middleton's mail route has been knocked out. There are only five mail carriers for Middleton and Upperton, while Lowerton has seven." Lowerton had mail carriers to spare, so they volunteered.

"Wade, can you get into the security cameras at the L. E. Faraday Post Office?" asked Kim.

Wade narrowed his eyes to focus, typing at a speed that would break a standard keyboard. There was a computerized gliss. He grinned and said the magic words: "I'm in!"

Kim watched the security footage.

The regular mailman had been taking lunch break, and would have gone back to work - had a falcon not attacked him. After having his arms bloodied and his face mauled, the mailman was in no shape to go on the delivery route. But he left his mailbag behind. A tall, hulking man took the bag and put a small package in. Then he put the bag back and left. When the substitute came, the bag went in the truck uninspected.

Wade zoomed in on the package. It had Kim's address, and the name Shang Li.

Kim put the clues together immediately. Drakken made some kind of nasty formula and put it in a pill. Then he got Galyn Khaan to go to the post office with Shuurga. The orders were for the falcon to attack and the owner to facilitate delivery.

"Those pills could be dangerous." thought Kim. "Shang needs pain relief, not poison. Besides, I can't wake him up with a kiss…" Kim shook her head. This was no time to let her little crush take over.

Again, Kim went upstairs with the Kimmunicator. Wade did a recent upgrade that allowed it could do chemical scans. Perfect timing for…

"The door's open?!"

Kim remembered that she closed the door but didn't lock it. "Please let those pills be here…" she prayed. Some twisted form of Murphy's Law was proven: they weren't on the shelf where she left them. She ran back downstairs to see Mulan about to give Shang one of the pills.

"Mulan, NO!" cried Kim.

Mulan whirled around and dropped the pill. "What?"

"You could have killed him!" Kim was in a state resembling panic.

"With a pain relief pill?" asked Mulan doubtfully.

Kim grumbled and snatched the pill off of the floor. She put it in a small bottom compartment of the Kimmunicator. It scanned the pill's chemical structure. A 3-D model of the main compound assembled on the screen.

"It's not a pain relief pill." she snapped, showing Mulan the screen. "It's sodium cyanide, one of the most dangerous poisons around. It causes death within seconds."

"In which case, we should get rid of them." Shang said weakly.

Mushu peeked out of Mulan's backpack. "Actually, I got an idea…"

Everyone leaned in.

"Give 'em a taste of their own medicine."

TO BE CONTINUED...


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Drakken was in a foul mood yet again. Not that he was ever in a good mood, being a villain whose plans were repeatedly thwarted, but he was especially frustrated this time. His henchmen were incompetent. Galyn Khaan had gotten some ridiculous idea about delivering poison pills to Shang via regular mail. And on top of all this, Shego was still gone.

It seemed wrong, but Drakken truly missed Shego. Shego was a top-notch fighter and smarter than any of the henchmen. Aside from that, she could keep Galyn Khaan's revenge plots from becoming priority. There was that one time they snuggled up after a successful heist… the dejected villain looked up at the ceiling and sighed.

A green glow appeared from a crack in the ceiling. The crack began to sizzle and crumble from the heat. It expanded into a hole that got wider and wider from the falling debris. Much to Drakken's delight, Shego dropped through the hole like a ninja.

"Shego!" Drakken threw his arms around his partner.

Shego twisted her body, forcing Drakken to let go. "Sounds like you missed me." Her sarcasm bit sharper than a snake. Oh, but Drakken didn't care! He missed her and was willing to pay up.

"What's the blast from the past been up to?" asked Shego.

Drakken scoffed. "I'd like to blast him, all right... back to where he came from!"

***  
The team was on the roof, listening to the entire conversation through the hole Shego had made. "Did you hear that?" Mushu perked up. "Sounds like evil dude has a good idea."

Rufus snickered.

"Drakken? Good idea? Same sentence?" Kim couldn't believe it. "So not happening."

"No, a good idea for us." said Shang. "He said something about blasting Galyn Khaan back to where he came from." He gave Mulan one of those plotting looks.

Ron looked over at Mulan. "Brought any fireworks?"

"No." said Mulan. "But that's not to say we can't make a few…"

Something vibrated in Kim's pocket. The newest feature of the Kimmunicator was a silent mode. Kim pulled it out. "Sitch, Wade?"

"You need fireworks? Mulan, check your pack."

Mulan reached into her pack. "A necklace box?"

"It looks like a necklace box. But inside is a Fire Fuse."

Mulan opened the box and saw something that looked like a dazzling statement necklace. It was a rope of gold filigree, with various gem clusters woven throughout.

Wade explained that each gem was a small-but-powerful bomb. Once the fuse was lit, each group of bombs would explode. The biggest bomb was at the clasp. "It goes off in 15 seconds. Put it near the target, but get away ASAP - it'll destroy the whole building and some of the surrounding area."

"Guess we won't need this." said Mushu, tossing the sodium cyanide pill to the ground.

Right on cue, Shuurga swooped down at them. Mushu took in a deep breath. He was ready to make another serving of Mongolian barbecue. But the falcon didn't want Mushu - he was after Rufus! Rufus scrambled towards Ron, hoping to find safety in a cargo pocket. Ron got closer to the ground so Rufus could jump in.

Shuurga wasn't about to give up that easily. The task was to capture that barn pest and get a meal in the process. He decided to intimidate Ron with a few low passes. It worked - Ron lost his balance from trying to dodge in an unstable crouch.

"Rufus, in here!" Kim scooped Rufus up into her own pocket. She helped Ron to his feet.

At that moment, Kim's pendant began to feel hot. Too hot. She moved it to the outside of her shirt and realized it had fiery sparks crackling around it. Mulan did the same with her pendant, also seeing the sparks. The cord unraveled from the heat and she dropped it.

"You're on fire!" Mushu punned.

"Not the time!" Shang snapped. For the past few minutes, he had been trying to knock Shuurga out of the air. So far, his efforts were resulting in bloody arms - and now a deep gash across the chest. Mulan saw this, and decided to get rid of Shuurga for once and for all.

"Flight mode, activate!" she yelled. The wings sprang from her battle-suit and the small rockets powered on. She sprang into the air, Lightning Rod at the ready. Shuurga noticed his enemy was in flight, and found a good air current to carry him far ahead.

But in the rush, Mulan left the Fire Fuse behind… and it was lying very close to her pendant…

***  
Galyn Khaan had been watching the fight from a distance. So far, the odds looked favorable. Shang was bleeding profusely, and Mulan had left him behind to pursue Shuurga. There was no way she'd catch up to a falcon, and she'd probably do something foolish in the process.

But when he looked at the roof, where Shang was sprawled out weakly, he witnessed something unsettling.

Kim was still on the roof. She saw Shang bleeding. Ron didn't know what to do. "Think of something, Kim!"

"I'm trying!" Kim racked her brain for a solution. Then she remembered the time the pendants gained some of the energy from Mushu's blood. Dragon blood had healing properties.

Acting quickly, Kim tapped her still-sparking pendant to Shang's wounds. He breathed in sharply at each tap, the lava-hot stone against the deeper parts of his skin. But with each tap, he healed. The wounds cleaned up and closed over. He was still a bit weak from loss of blood, but he was ready to fight again.

"You stay here." ordered Kim. "Make sure Mulan's pendant and the Fire Fuse stay safe!"

Shang jumped to his feet. "Don't order me around!" he protested.

"Kim can fight good." Ron patted Kim on the shoulder.

"Shut. Up." Shang wasn't amused.

"Ron, quit fooling around!" snapped Kim. No sooner had she said that than Shuurga came down again - and not in the aggressive way either.

Shortly after that, the team heard a familiar voice: "Flight mode, quit!"

Mulan landed, her Lightning Rod still crackling. She had managed to strike Shuurga with the Lightning Rod. Rufus peeked out cautiously from Kim's pocket. The once-fearsome falcon was dead.

"Boo-yah!" squeaked Rufus, giving Mushu a high-five.

But the victory didn't last. Shego had heard the commotion and found her way up to the roof. Galyn Khaan soon joined her. Rufus saw the two and jumped into Ron's pocket.

"Any time you want to use that Fire Fuse would work!" Ron sounded desperate.

"No." resolved Shang, unsheathing his dagger. "They want a fight, they'll get a fight!"

Shego smirked deviously. "Well, let's get down to business."

"Not with him, you won't!" Mulan stood next to Shang defensively.

"We'll see about that!" Shego activated her powers. Galyn Khaan drew his sword; white-hot fire shot out of the blade within seconds.

In response, Ron stepped up - monkey style. But before Ron could enter his full power, Galyn Khaan literally burned the focus. Anybody would have lost focus if a giant jagged sword came dangerously close to them. Especially when aforementioned sword was surrounded by flames!

Kim tied a quick knot on the cord that held Mulan's pendant. "Mulan, catch!" She threw the pendant and Mulan jumped to catch it - but missed. It fell down, down, down - and gone. Mulan cursed under her breath. She needed that pendant!

Meanwhile, Shang was locked in combat with Shego. Shego's newly-gained skills in kickboxing actually gave Shang an advantage. Admittedly, he wasn't the best at acrobatic fighting styles that Kim favored when she went toe-to-toe with the villainess. Kickboxing was something he could handle. Easy.

It wasn't so easy when Galyn Khaan joined in. Fighting this barbarian was like fighting four opponents at once, because of his sheer size. Going after Mulan and Shang wasn't enough to satisfy his bloodlust. He wanted Kim and Ron dead as well. Then nothing would stand in his way!

"KP! Heads up!" Ron cried out. Kim ducked just in time to miss a swing from Galyn Khaan's sword. But her pendant came off!

Kim's pendant sailed through the air. It gained an aura of blinding golden light that trailed behind it like a shooting star. As if pulled by a powerful magnet, Mulan's pendant came flying back up. It glowed with silver fire and shot straight to Kim's pendant like an arrow.

The cords tangled around each other like two mating dragons; the pendants locked into one. Combat came to a halt as both sides were hypnotized. They watched the pendants dancing in mid-air, erupting with fire and starlight.

Ron snapped out of the trance. He remembered the last part of the story he heard at the ninja school. If the pendants locked, they would combine energies and destroy any trace of evil. That wasn't to say they wouldn't destroy everything else… either way, they had to leave!

Kim took a running start and shot her grappling hook. The line wrapped around a pillar that nobody had noticed before. She grabbed a surprised Ron and swung to the pillar. The line released. They dropped to the ground, and sprinted to safety.

Mulan took Shang in her arms. Mushu took the hint and jumped in Mulan's pack. She had dropped Shang on a tandem flight before. This time she was determined to get him out alive. "Flight mode, activate!" she shouted. The wings spread and the rockets powered up much faster than usual. She wasted no time in jumping off the roof, flying at top speed to catch up with Kim and Ron.

Once they were at a safe distance, curiosity overcame the team. They looked back to see the damage. The lair looked like it had been hit with a fuel-air explosive - nothing left except crackling flames and smoking rubble.

They looked away from the destruction, almost somberly. Then they realized this was no time for mourning. This was a time to celebrate!

TO BE CONTINUED...


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Life more or less returned to normal after the triumph. As the team walked to their last class, a tall boy with short auburn hair passed them. He was holding hands with a girl. She was about Kim's height, with a wavy dark brown bob framing aqua-green eyes.

The couple stopped. "Hey, guys." said the boy. His confident, deep voice sounded familiar.

"Jake?" asked Shang in disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me!" Jake turned around to show the back of his head. No more ponytail - just shaggy on the neck. He explained that at the most recent basketball game, he had come to the center of the court during halftime. Star came out of the audience and cut off Jake's ponytail for donation.

Ron high-fived Jake to congratulate him.

"And you're Star?" said Mulan to the girl.

"Yes!" Star's excitement bubbled over. "You're Mulan, right?"

"Yes, but please don't start fangirling." Mulan laughed.

Star just grinned. "Oh, I don't need to fangirl around you." She mussed Jake's hair. "I'm Jake's biggest fan."

"And you're my favorite shining Star." said Jake romantically, giving Star a kiss on the forehead. They shared a loving look. Then they realized what time it was.

"See you guys in class!" said Star. "I got my schedule. Jake and I are in Robotics!"

"We're in that one too!" Mulan couldn't wait to get to know Star better. After all, a cancer survivor was one of the strongest fighters.

Once in Robotics, everyone sat down. Felix steered his motorized wheelchair up to the teacher's desk.

"Hey everyone!" Felix greeted the class.

"Hi, Felix!" The students all enjoyed his company. He was super-intelligent, enjoyed basketball, and overall had a heart of gold.

"The teacher's out for the day, so she put me in charge." he announced.

As if on cue, the classroom door opened. Felix's mother, Mrs. Renton, came in.

"April Fools!" they said at the same time. The whole class laughed.

Mrs. Renton took over instruction, but she let Felix stay at the front of the class as she taught. Every now and then Felix would help explain a concept with a funny anecdote. He had everyone in stitches when he talked about why it wasn't a good idea to let Bueno Nacho use drones for to-go orders.

That was when Mrs. Renton saw Mulan and Shang.

"May I see you two after class?"

They froze.

"I can assure you that it's nothing bad. In fact, it might be the best news you'll get all day."

When school let out, Mrs. Renton gave Mulan and Shang a briefing. The space center had been working on a special project. This project would get the two portal-jumpers back home safely. From those words, Jake knew what was about to happen.

"Gonna miss you, Shang." said Jake, hugging his friend with a pat on the back.

"You too." Shang answered. He let go and smiled.

Star did the same with Mulan. "I wish I had gotten to know you better." said Star. "You're my hero."

"And you're my hero." Mulan responded. She tried not to squeeze Star too hard, knowing that cancer stole a lot of energy.

The couple from the present let go of the couple from the past. With that, Mrs. Renton drove the team to the space center.

"I'm terrible at goodbyes." Shang admitted through a blush.

"Romantic ones, at least." Mulan teasingly jabbed her sweetheart. "But saying goodbye to teammates shouldn't be as difficult."

By now they were inside the space center, where the "special project" was located. It was a Portal generator.

"We've tested this on a drone. It's safe - but it only goes one way." said Mrs. Renton.

"So this is a forever goodbye?" Mulan wasn't joking around now.

Kim and Ron looked at their teammates. No. Teammates was the wrong word. It had been a crazy few months with Mulan and Shang around. But through their trials, their bonds only strengthened. They were friends.

"I hate to say it." Kim's voice shook from trying to hold back tears. "But yes."

She hugged Mulan to her heart. Ron joined in on the hug. Then Shang came close as well. All four were holding each other.

Rufus and Mushu did the same. They had squabbled frequently, but now they realized that they helped each other. They had been friends too. That time was coming to an end.

Crying and hugging wouldn't erase the fact of parting. All things had to come to an end. And the expanded team was no exception.

Mushu let go of Rufus and hopped back into Mulan's pack. The group hug slowly separated as well.

Mrs. Reston stood at the controls of the Portal generator. "I feel bad for separating the team." she said sadly. "But this is for the best."

With that, Mulan and Shang stepped into the doorway. A column of blue-white light surrounded them from the floor up and spun around them like a whirlwind. When the light receded, they were gone.

"Now what?" asked Ron as he went back with Kim.

Kim paused to think of an answer. "Now we remember what we've accomplished."

"The missions?"

"No, something deeper. You know how my dad says anything is possible for a Possible?"

Ron nodded, not seeing what Kim was getting at. When she continued, it all made sense.

"Out of all the challenges we faced, the biggest one was teamwork. And if anything, we've proven that teamwork is possible."

THE END


End file.
